Energy Independence

For as far back as I can remember in my memory bank of political cycles and 24 hour news, the main slogan on the right concerning energy has been to “drill baby drill”, that there’s enough oil under our feet that we don’t need the Middle East or other nations resources and that fracking will lead us to global dominance. The mantra on the left on energy independence - well - there really isn’t one outside of wind, solar and now electric dictatorship. But to make the point, energy has been at the forefront of the political argument and policy pushes since my ears started paying attention well over twenty years ago.

We spend so much focus on energy because it is what drives us. Not just literally to work every day, but it heats our homes, cooks our food, turns on our sources of light, information and entertainment, and in a very common sensibility way, keeps the “world turning.”

It’s Sunday morning, it’s quiet and still and I’m sitting without the lights on, drinking coffee out of my “I am grumpy” mug and my German shepherd is laying at my feet. His energy is calm because he feeds off my energy. If I make a sudden movement he will make a sudden movement. If I get up he will follow me wherever I go. He won’t ask questions. The energy will transfer into a need to know that I am safe. Even if I am totally fine walking into the bathroom, he will lay outside the door waiting to make sure everything is “secure.” He has been my shadow for the better part of seven - almost eight years. Loyal. True. Present. Loving. He knows and feels when I am happy, sad, angry or anything inbetween. It affects his mood. And yet he stays. Unconditionally.

I saw a meme yesterday that said “a dogs love and loyalty is the closest thing on the earth you will ever come to experiencing an absolute.”

Who put that loyalty into the instinctual characteristics of a dog? Secular “scholars” will say it’s a pack animal mentality. It isn’t love. My non scholarly mind will say “wrong” because when I look at my dogs face and see his eyes conveying undeniable, adoring and yes - loving dedication looking back at me, there is no doubt in my mind that sea turtles should not be the animal living for 100 years.

Questions you’re probably asking yourself right now are “why are you rambling on and on about a dogs unconditional love?” and “why did you start out by talking about political energy solutions to lead America to greatness?”

Let me ask you a question. Why do you clap at the end of a performance that moves you? Why do you cheer wildly when the maximum energy of a big hit in football or a home run is hit at a baseball game? Why do people care so much about how far the longest golf drive travelled or how fast a F1 race car can take a tight turn? Why does landing a huge fish get your blood pumping? Why does breaking personal bests lifting weights matter so much to your list of accomplishments? Why do all of those things and more excite you? Sure you enjoy them in the moment.

None of those things change your life permanently. But the energy that is created or transferred in order to do any and all of those things is what drives the feeling. The fleeting feeling.

The highlight of the dogs day is when you walk through the door at the end of the day. And in the opposite - the worst part of its day is when you walk out the door.

Now take the analogies of energy transferring to drive every aspect of our lives, the loyalty and love of a dog and the need of its master and let’s realize the point.

While a dog is “dependent” on your energy, just as a vehicle is “dependent” on fuel that burns to create energy, we are, whether we like it or not, “dependent” on God.

In a communist society, there is a reason that the one true God must be removed. It is because government needs to be the god. They must suck the energy out of your life. They MUST create a void that “only they can fill.” They must make you dependent on them, just as a dog is dependent on two scoops of over cooked and nutrient starved kibble each morning and each night.

A nation like America, born and built on the promises of true independence from oppression and built on true and complete salvation, CANNOT exist in the minds of secular, God hating men and women.

Our greatest fear should not be man and his ability to slam the door between us and God shut in our faces. That man does not have the power to do that. Only God can open doors and shut doors.

Our energy “dependence” on God is absolutely 100% succinct with achieving our energy “independence” from oppressive government. Why? Because He gave us the promise of independence from oppressors. Jesus owned the most anti establishment, anti oppression, anti corruption pairs of sandals to ever walk this planet - or any planet for that matter. He didn’t run for office. He didn’t lead crusades. He didn’t wield a sword or scale a wall. He didn’t need to. He called out the oppression of the people and the oppressors who were forcing obligatory energy dependence on them. And why? In order to lead them to their own personal energy independence with God. And once that energy independence and personal relationship with God existed, then those same people, outfitted with a strength and courage to lead movements across the globe, had zero fear of what the “establishment” could do to them.

If you’re drawing your energy from the actual source that created energy in the first place, “what do you have to lose?” And that mentality is dangerous to oppressive, dictatorial, communistic and Marxist regimes. Yes, even in America.

We have energy independence in Christ. When my dog spreads the contents of a weeks worth of trash can glory across my kitchen floor while I’m at work, and I come home to find the mess, I correct him. But I still feed him. I still take him for a walk. I still pet his head. I still throw a ball. And he knows I love him.

When we falter and fear and go back to thinking we need to be dependent on political energy or worldly idolic energy instead of the actual source, we still have the ability to reform ourselves and know we have the actual power because we are loved. Grace.

It’s time to take the blinders off based on worldly induced fear and realize you already have your personal, God ordained energy independence to go out into the communities, the states, the nation, and in some cases - the world, to affect change for people. Be fearless.

The more people realize that their energy independence comes from God, the simpler life becomes to do the right thing. The easier it becomes when given the choice of “if I do this I might be cancelled or bullied or beat up - or worse.” The choice of losing something or doing what is right becomes easier and clearer than you can imagine when you realize why you are doing something and to what end it comes to.

You can’t create your own energy independence.

If you can have faith in a machine you didn’t build when you turn a key, if you can have faith in a switch that you didn’t design, if you can have faith in a fuselage going 500 mph 30,000 feet above the earths surface that you don’t know how to fly or land, if you can have faith that a politician is going to keep their promises for your kids futures when you can’t see inside their motive driven head, then you can have faith that you can make a difference, while drawing off the energy source of salvation from the One who created it in the first place. And when you do that, it scares the hell out of the oppressor. Because it is the one thing they know thwarts every evil step they take against you. Both earthly and eternally.

Now go do it.