A while back there was a Revolutionary war reenactment at a historical site near our home. It was living history on display. A middle aged militia gathered on the field of battle. During the week, these brace souls were bankers, teachers and real estate agents. On the weekend, they were patriots or loyalists. They assembled to resurrect a long resolved rebellion. The reenactors had studied all the finest details of the skirmish. They knew all the facts of the fight. They recreated it all in brilliant, intricate detail. They dressed the part with dusty tricorn hats and buckled shoes (both of which were very uncomfortably fashionable in the 18th century). They shot homemade muskets, and lived in tents for the weekend. It was all very loud and impressive. But, at the end of the day, when the gunpowder settled, there was no surprise. Everybody knew the ending. There was serious drama, but, nothing had changed. I wasn’t sure if the guys portraying the losing army were hoping for a different outcome, but if we recreate history the outcome is always predetermined. So they are left to fight the same fight over and over.
That’s fine.
It was very interesting.
But, sometimes real life becomes one long war reenactment.
We fight the same fight over and over.
We stir up the sludge of the past and we refuse to move on or let go.
We study all the details. It’s not hard to review the memories, they are seared into our psyche. We carefully memorize offense, we revisit rejection, and we rehearse revenge with great detail.
We reenact.
We relive.
We fight the same fights over and over again in our personal and professional lives.
Our pain stained battlecry is “You hurt me, you offended me, I can’t forget that.”
Sometimes the fight gets no farther than our head and our heart. Our opponent isn’t even aware of the struggle. That doesn’t make the collateral damage any less real.
When we reenact the same old fights, the outcome is always predetermined.
There is serious drama, but nothing changes.
Maybe it’s time to assemble the troops, because it looks like the militia have a decision to make.
Reenact OR recreate?
We can choose to relive history or make history. It’s the difference between a rerun and a revolution.
We can reenact.
We can continually live out a ever repeating life loop. But, Revolution is not ignited by repetition.
Stop the reenactment!
It’s to lay the homemade weapons down
It’s time for…
The most disarming of words…
Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the ultimate revolutionary act.
Forgiveness…
Can you imagine?
It turns things upside down.
It sets things free.
It refuses to fight the same fights over and over.
It recreates.
We can forgive.
We can recreate.
Why in the world would we want to live in the midst of a perpetual fight?
Let’s refuse to be reenactors of conflict.
Let’s be recreators of peace!
Let’s fly the flag of forgive.
Let’s be the ones who proclaim…
The revolution will not be repeated.
carbonated joy 