“5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Ro 5:1–11 ESV)

People go eons of time on nothing but a hope. On nothing but, “He spoke, and my heart knew…”. Because though each of us coddles ourselves in ways particular, any theological foundation starts with the Mystery, Unknowability, Absence of Threat, Absence of Attestation, Absence of Assurance: God is at the helm, but… why, why ask, doesn’t He just show up in force and explain that to us? Why doesn’t He flash a badge and clean up, cut short the Engagement to a reasonable hour or so, Intervene in the name of Efficiency and Pragmatism?

And some answers… we first all of us acknowledge Mistakes Made, but how so, if we work for the Father, if we work for Mother Dearest, and Father on High? Again, to the theological framework: Christ Himself unknown in His hometown, unable there to do miracles… sometimes the Gulf, the Straight to the Top chain of command, the eminent Domain of Agents and Officers of the War, of the Defense, of the Chain of Command, to Intervene, to claim that eminence, to Insert Purposeful “our hearts burned as He spoke…” timely Demonstratives, Power and Assurance we are no longer querulous about. Why, do we not—agents and provocateurs—spill the beans of where lies our Hope, what Gambits and Affairs we are cogitating around? Because we literally cannot spread rumors into a rumor mill, if the check isn’t in the mail; we cannot literally spread manifest Destiny and Command into the submissive scene, if the authorization will be stung and targeted. And yet there comes a time, “Of course! Why didn’t you just say so?”. Nevermind that so many frontline soldiers risked it all because of some hairbrained Mania or Ambition: we must coach ourselves Not to risk all for the wrong reasons.

Eons of time on nothing but a hope, that miracle-workings and strange Outfits—artists, lawyers, politicians, teachers,etc.—have an Internal Logic and Action-Reacion Response most benign, sublime, peace-loving, and purposeful. Yet… to get out of the house, to coddle ourselves no longer, to breathe in the fresh air… we are Eyes and Ears on the ground to Higherups, higher-ups who do don the headset and Listen, for some strange End to the myopia or the warmongering, the illicit spirits that fester and ruminate around any proper war room Removed. Removed from public eye, removed and Challenged: do no evil! Be eyes and ears. Support your Team, knowing this decision or that will send men, women to their fateful hour of demise. For the flag. For the Cause. For the Gospel.

Our thought castles, sand castles in the sky, do ebb and flow and hold habitation, inhabited by Creation Sublime, Divine. And… “An enemy has done this!”. Those uninducted—what good father or mother doesn’t pray through the upbringing and education, revelations eventual, of their son or their daughter—those still Learning, they make do on the basis of Good Manners and Sincere Friend requests. But to be Inducted, is no longer to graduate the mere legalist in our midst, the attorney of who-knows-what cause, but the one fighting legal injunctions of the Spirit, Coming Togethers blessed and legally enabled. Enabled by the Forgiveness that metes out Patience, Manners and Mannerisms, love for the brethren, sistren, sublime.

Because they destroy and kill the castles in the sky. They only can think in terms militaristic, or only in terms Heavy and Militant; they covet such nomenclature, but do not see just as much heft in a romantic lore of manners, or in a family’s loving—vulnerable—dinner table.

We soldier through a world crash-landing from so many lofty aspirations that each might have benefited from the “man on the street” eyes and ears to the war room and creative team, who says, just… you, the meek ones, just speak a little more Boldly! And you, the ambitious ones, pipe down a bit, get a sense of humor about your own status in the community. Because we who preach Christ do so not out of rivalry but in the hope that none shall be humiliated, none called to an altar unwillingly, none having their door broken down… just knocked at. We shall arrive Bold and Emboldened by the Chief War Room monger named Jesus. Who pled… who saw soup-to-nuts Importance in banking our Outlay on real people, to keep honest… who saw gentle Healings as just as much warmongering as any Threat Vocalized across the entrenched positions. I will heal. They will hate. They will unbeautify and condemn. But they are still first in line to be forgiven and to Joint the Cause.