I always expected to get more and more conservative as I got older. I expected by the time I was in my 40’s, I would probably have to start a new politcal party because of how hardcore I would be.
Strangely, it has not worked out like that at all.
As I’ve gotten older and experienced more of life, the little things that used to really get stuck in my craw don’t really bother me as much anymore. Growing closer to Christ and learning more about my place in His heart has really helped with that, too.
I used to read and hear things from way on the left that would make me want to just choke someone out. I eventually came to realize that errant thoughts and misguided motives are as common as true and righteous ones, and both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of both. I also realized that me telling someone that is not the same as them realizing it themselves.
In other words, people sometimes need to learn about things the hard way.
And while it is still true that I have nowhere else experienced the condescension and smugness that I have from Liberal folks resting comfortably on their self-righteous laurels, I do my best to not let it bother me anymore, though every now and again I still get upset.
I’m redeemed, not perfect.
I hate injustice as much as anyone. I hate that unbiased media coverage does not exist. I hate prejudice against someone based on ethnicity, or who they pray to, even if I don’t do the same. I hate when people resort to violence against those weaker than themselves. I hate being talked down to by people that seem to think they are the source of all wisdom because they have a graduate degree and voted for the other guy last time we hit the ballot boxes.
It’s so interesting, though. I didn’t have my temper disappear all at once, and indeed sometimes it still reminds me that it’s there. It just gradually faded into something quite manageable as the little things stopped becoming big things, because at the end of it all, none of that left and right wing shit really matters.
I also was blessed with more and more self-control as I got older (and less and less hair, as it turned out), which is really the second best thing that ever happened to me, next to meeting Jesus and my beautiful wife. I realize that me flying into a rage or making my spleen explode is not going to help anything, and if I am who I say I am, then people are not looking for me to follow Jesus and be sincere about it.
They’re looking for me to fail, or get red-faced pissed and start screaming at people, which has flared up a few times in my family.
Not wanting to be typical has also helped me with my self-control. Something else about some of those more liberal folks I’ve noticed over the past few years: they almost seem consumed by rage and bitterness every now and then, especially when things don’t go their way during an election, or if someone was to criticize their voting choices. I don’t even remember what that felt like. It’s good to have some peace.
Maybe this won’t make sense to anyone but me, and that’s OK. I’m just sitting here on my lunch break and thinking that the world looks a lot different when you don’t have as much of it smeared on the lenses of your glasses.
A Work in Progress 