Walls.  We all build them.  They are built with the purpose of protection.  We form them out of fear and we form them when we are hurt.  And occasionally, when we understand that we can’t handle certain situations correctly, we build them out of wisdom.  The problem is not so much the wall, it is in the intent of the builder.  

Often in today’s world, we build them in response to manipulative language.  Manipulative language is often based on a trigger word.  Trigger words instantly make gall rise up in my throat and cause me to put another brick in that wall between me and a person or group of people.  Trigger words can be nouns, verbs or names of infamous people or places.  They always invoke a gut response that shuts down the rational thought and sends my mind to the place the author or speaker wants it to go.  Trigger words change with the times and can develop faster than a West Texas storm in spring.  

At this point I would love to give examples of trigger words we see everyday.  However, that would cause a physiological response to happen that would negate the rest of my words.  I can only tell you that these words are used by wily manipulative organizations to sway you. They are used by politicians, advertisers and groups that are soliciting donations.  And by choosing the word “wily” I mean to give you a visual of the infamous Wile E. Coyote.  He had plans, lots of plans, elaborate plans!  It took him hours to set them up.  Luckily for the Road Runner, the plans were always foiled in a surprising and hilarious way.  The dictionary defines wily it as “attaining or seeking to attain one’s ends by guileful or devious means”. See the link for a visual–> Wile E. Coyote gif

In a famous bible story, a guy built a virtual wall between a city and himself.  He would NOT go to that city no matter what God told him.  In his mind, those people were depraved and everyone knew it.  Stories were probably told around the campfire about evil Nineveh. It was a hotbed of sin.  Nineveh may have been a “trigger word” for depravity back in the day.  Or maybe it was more personal.  Maybe someone in Nineveh insulted Jonah’s mom.  It may have been said that they deserved what is coming to them.  Jonah ran from God and hid rather than to go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah didn’t think those people deserved a chance to repent. As you may know, that didn’t turn out well for Jonah.  He ended up surrounded by a wall of the digestive system of a big fish until he saw things differently.  

So was Nineveh really that bad?  Well, God was not happy with them so I would say yes.  Was Nineveh deserving of a second chance?  Probably not, but God thought so.  Was Jonah deserving of a second chance?  Probably not, but God thought so.  What is the point?  God sees us all as deserving that second chance.  Who am I to build a wall? 

There are people and organizations that are as manipulative as Wile E. Coyote.  Their purposes may be genuine or not.  Their words are meant to give them fame or profit but unfortunately it ends in building walls between myself and groups of people and I begin to view those groups as “them” and not us.  I begin to see them as not deserving a second chance.

In Matthew 10:16 NIV Jesus told his disciples:

[16] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

That is very timely advice for our ‘social network driven’ society.  We need to learn to see the traps set by manipulators and wolves out there.  Our job as disciples is not to build walls but to break down walls.  And we may need to be shrewd enough to identify ‘Wile E. Coyote’ techniques to break down the walls.