Low Grade Global War

I want to ask you some questions in this Leading Thoughts, but before I do I want to make some assurances.

I want you to be assured that I am neither a survivalist nor someone preoccupied with global apocalypse. The truth is that if something horrible happens anywhere near me, I’m running towards it to help people. I’m not running away and hiding in a titanium shelter on a mountain. So, what I’m about to say is rooted in faith not fear, rooted in optimism not visions of devastation.

I believe we are all living now in a low grade global war. By low grade I mean that we don’t have armies of millions fighting each other on vast battlefields. We do have radicalized individuals stabbing people on the streets of Jerusalem or shooting up a gay bar in Orlando or driving a bus through a Bastille Day crowd in Nice. By global, I mean that we are fighting the same type of war in every nation on earth.

I believe the forces of freedom and peace will win this war, but it is going to take time. Meanwhile, we have to live wisely in these turbulent times. And, as leaders, we have to teach others to live wisely as well.

So let me ask you seven questions that will either get you thinking or help you continue thinking about how to survive and thrive in this traumatic season of history.

1. Are you part of a community of people who will band together in the face of a natural disaster or a terrorist action or any other type of emergency?
2. Are you digesting good materials (books, periodicals, websites, podcasts, etc.) that explain the world in terms that help you understand and respond to the challenges of your times?
3. Have you thought through, and have you taught your family, how to respond to a deadly threat that erupts on a street, in a mall, at school, or in any other public place?
4. Do you have enough food, water, and cash to get by if hackers, a storm, or any other trouble should disrupt electrical service to your area so that stores or banks/ATMS are closed? Can you get by for a week? A month?
5. Are you explaining the world to your children in such a way that makes them aware but not fearful, prepared but not retreating, confident but not naïve?
6. Have you thought through your own ethics about guns? Do you have them if you want them and are willing to use them righteously, and are they legal, in good repair, and with sufficient ammo? If you do not want guns in your home or life, what other protection systems do you have in place? Door locks? Internet cameras? Mace? Dogs? There are a thousand options. What are yours?
7. Finally, have you settled the fact that you live at this season in history by the choosing of God and that this means you have a role to play? What is that role? Are you in position for it? Have you prepared for it? Are you ready to play that role to the glory of God?

Fear not, but engage wisely. This will all make us better and we will ultimately win, but only if we know who we are, know the times in which we live, and know how to respond to the crises of those times. This is what leaders do.

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