Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. –John 14:17
I intended to take a much-needed Christmas respite between December 25 and January 2. I got my week off, all right, but it was not exactly within those parameters and nothing like I expected.
On December 21, I encountered headaches and fevers, which morphed into a stomach bug that had me down for the count. One sleepless night turned into three and then four.
But while my body suffered, I found my spirit quickened. God had my attention like maybe He hadn’t had in a while. Sometimes, in the fog of war, and we are in a war, you start to lose perspective and can get temporarily disoriented. That was me.
So I needed that time, shivering under the covers, alone. The hours seemed like days, the days passed like weeks. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.
Then, on the second day after Christmas, the fevers broke. A cloud lifted. It seemed as if God was saying: “Wake up from your slumber son. Wipe the grit and grime from your eyes, remove the dross, and get ready to see some things with a fresh outlook and renewed clarity.”
So I arose from my sick bed at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, December 27, and did something I hadn’t done in days. I ate something. I toasted a slice of sour-dough bread, buttered it, and devoured it. I made a pot of coffee and thanked Him for the small jolt of life I felt returning to my body and soul.
Later that day we sat down to watch a familiar movie, The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson in the role of a fictional character named Benjamin Martin, who finds himself drawn into the American Revolutionary War.
It’s always been a favorite and I’ve seen it many times. But this time I would see the story unfold through an entirely new lens. There’s more to it, I found, than just a patriot hero, a keen military strategy and an intriguing history lesson.
The movie actually contains many of the essential elements of spiritual warfare, useful for us living on the earth today, heading into the year of our Lord, 2023, which promises to be another year of volatility and disruptive events.
Continue reading Lovers of Truth and Lovers of Lies: Seeing new lessons for today in Mel Gibson’s iconic portrayal of ‘The Patriot’