By Shewanda Riley – (Source: www.dallasweekly.com) – Anger. Shock. Awe. Disgust. Fear. Anxiety. Confusion. These are just a few of the sentiments expressed by many after the Jan. 6th Insurrection at the US Capitol that was incited by the lies and dangerous rhetoric of President Donald Trump. Since then, there has been continuous analysis of how the deadly storming of the US Capitol could happen with some saying that the domestic terrorist attack was an indication of larger problems within the Republican Party and our nation, specifically racial and social inequality. Some say that the divisions within the Republican party between those who want to move forward beyond the Trump era and those who falsely claim the election was stolen are deep enough to destroy it for good.
That may be true but to me it looks like something else. Galatians 6:7-8 warns “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” It appears as though the divisions in the Republican Party are the harvest of the seeds of division that Republicans have sowed for the last 12 years. For the last 12 years, the Republican Party, including party officials as well as elected officials, waged a deliberately vicious campaign against President Obama’s administration, his policy and Democrats. This includes the fight over the Affordable Care Act (ACA also known as Obamacare), the fight over filling the vacant seats of late Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the attempts to undue the policies of the Obama administration.
What does all of this have to do with the truth in those verses from Galatians? The Republican party has planted seeds of disrespect, dissension, discord and division for the past 12 years and what is their harvest? A political party that is very close to splitting and a disgraced president whose disastrous one term will be known for chaos, division and disorganization. In contrast, President Obama, whom Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared would be a one term president just days after his 2008 inauguration, now enjoys record high approval ratings.
For a political party that very boldly states that they are guided by Christian principles, they seem to have missed the important biblical lesson of seed and harvest. The seeds that are planted will bring about the harvest of what is at the heart of the seed. Just like an apple seed will produce apples, seeds of separation can only produce separation. It is ludicrous to expect party unity or even a unified country after so many years of hateful contentious rhetoric.
Watching these recent events unfold should remind each of us to be careful what we say and do to others. Unless there is a crop failure, you will surely get the harvest of the seeds you plant. The question you may want to ask yourself is what kind of seeds are you planting in your life and in the lives of others.
Shewanda Riley, PhD. is a Dallas, Texas based author of “Love Hangover: Moving From Pain to Purpose After a Relationship Ends” and “Writing to the Beat of God’s Heart: A Book of Prayers for Writers.” Email her at preservedbypurpose@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @shewanda.
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