Spooky season is almost finished, which means this is our finale to the b-movie series here on the blog. Today, since I like to keep you on your toes, we will not be looking at a movie, but a TV show, and a specific episode. The Twilight Zone, created by Rod Serling (who also narrates each episode), sets a spooky tone in every episode with wild scenarios, all based in real issues we deal with. The episode we will be looking at today is titled, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” the setting takes place in a suburban neighborhood and suddenly a flash in the sky appears and everything stops working. The neighbors gather in the street confused about the power outage and strange flash, and a little boy suggests it could be aliens infiltrating the neighborhood. Panic starts, then fingers are pointed at one another power comes on in certain houses, driving the people to become more and more untrusting of one another. The anger leads to a death, then the street erupts into chaos.
The final moment of the episode shows two aliens watching these events, and they simply say that all they need to do to conquer earth, is create confusion and the humans will destroy themselves.
What a powerful moment. The episode is a commentary on the McCarthyism at the time, where the fear of communism was driving people to a “witch hunt” mentality. I believe this same episode can be an example of how Satan can cause division and chaos in each other. I’m sure you all know this is an election season, and this allows for a lot of toxic discourse. The reality is, your favorite candidate is not God, so stop pushing them like they are. Use your best judgement on the integrity of the person, and if you feel they align best with scripture, use wisdom in your decision. What I see though, is anger and hatred towards one another, it is highlighted by seasons of election, but it happens every day.
So, what can we do? How can we keep letting Satan drive division in our friendships and churches? If we are called to be the church, this means we have to fight for unity and choose to treat everyone the way we want to be treated. The way is easy, but the conviction to stand for what is right is the battle.
Love God.
We must start here. There is no other way, a relationship with God is the source for all things. This means reading and meditating on scripture; this is the direct word of God. Too often I find myself wishing God would tell me how to live, presenting me with bright neon letter of what choices to make, when the truth to life is right in front of me. Reading God’s word everyday allows me to understand the heart God has for me and all of his creation. Prayer is a way to come to God, both with struggles and the blessings in your life. Listening to sermons and podcasts about faith can be a huge asset, but it will never take the place of a relationship with God.
Love People.
Christians often become confused as to their responsibility. We are called to make disciples of all nations, and we are told to love our neighbors as ourselves. Scripture doesn’t say we are called to love other Christians, or people with the same skin color, political views, or the myriad of excuses put out. We are called to love others, because God loves all people. Each person was made in the image of God and should be treated in that same way. Is this easy? No. Is that the responsibility of the believer? Yes.
We are called to love God and love people. Stop viewing people as the enemy, this is what Satan wants you to do. It is better to be together than apart, Satan wants us to fight amongst each other in order to destroy us, and often he doesn’t have to do much. Don’t fall prey to the enemy, fight back by loving God and loving people.
We are all in a very strange season. Fear is creating a lot of dissension among everyone. As believers, we need to be a light in this dark world. This means making your relationship with God real, choosing to fight for time with him every day. This also means to start loving people, in both words and actions, don’t let anger cause you to hurt other people. Nothing will change if you don’t make the choice to do what is right.
In a world of division, choose to fight for unity. Love God actively and love others intentionally. Don’t let fear cause you to lose sight of what you have been created to do.
-Joshua Thomas
About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a writer by day and superhero by night. When he’s not writing and crimefighting, you can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. The young writer doesn’t fully know what he’s doing, but is enjoying the journey of it all. You can follow his hipster photos and Jack Kerouac musings on Instagram @joshua_thomas__
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