PoP - Black and White

 “It’s not as black and white as it seems.” That statement can really cause a logical brain to struggle. A logical brain finds the patterns, sees the connections and tends to follow the rules much more than break them. To a logical brain, things either are or they aren’t. You either do or you don’t. You either will or you won’t. There’s right and there’s wrong. It’s kind of like going to the eye doctor; 1 or 2? 1 or 2? There’s always a clear option when making a decision.

Now, I will concede that there are tymes when doing the wrong thing for the right reason can factor into a situation. In the movie National Treasure, Ben Gates had to steal the Declaration of Independence in order to protect it from someone who wanted to steal it, but who didn’t respect the document. Ben Gates did what was wrong in order to do what was right…and when defending his action said, “it’s upside down and backwards”. In truth, it was the gray area between where black and white meet.

Graphic designers, have a tool in their ‘drawing shed’ called a gradient tool. It allows them to soften the transition between colors and creates an aesthetically pleasing look as opposed to the solid and often harsh line created by a color change. It also helps blend multiple colors when they cannot decide on just a couple. While gradient tool is extremely useful in graphic design, it seems that many try to create a gradient tool in real life, thus wreaking havoc on realities of life.

When applied to morals, the gradient tool eliminates the line of right and wrong and has many claiming the “gray area” defense. A Sunday School teacher once described a person’s conscience as a circle and person’s moral compass as a triangle. The triangle fits in the circle, with each point snug against the circle’s edge, holding it tightly in place. Whenever a wrong is knowingly committed, the triangle tries to spin and it flakes away part of the circle that holds it in place. The more wrong done, the more the triangle moves. At first, it really hurts if the triangle tries to move, but, eventually, the triangle flakes enough of the circle away that it spins freely. At that point, it no longer hurts, because the moral compass no longer has a conscience to hold it in place and it no longer cares about right and wrong. Sadly, in today’s society, triangles seem to be spinning freely, due much in part to the use of the gradient tool on the line between right and wrong.

There was a person who liked to talk a big game of morality and conviction, but when mortality and conviction stood in the way of what the person wanted to do, the big talk switched to gray area. All of a sudden, right and wrong were not as defined. Words took on different meanings and, somehow, this person always ended up finding a “loophole” in order to do what he wanted to do. One day a friend remarked, “if you are willing to change your mind in order to do what you want, then your conviction is simply an opinion, and an easily influenced one at that”. Perhaps some would call the friend’s statement a judgement, but it was merely an honest observation. The friend was not condemning the person for choosing wrong over right, the friend was condemning the person’s attempt to blur the line between right and wrong in order to justify a choice.

The truth is, having convictions is difficult at tymes. It’s often much easier to give in and just go with the flow of the crowd. Everyone is doing something, so it must be okay. Going against the crowd will draw negative attention. It takes so much energy to stand alone. What can one person do by standing up against the crowd, anyway? And really, who decides right and wrong? It’s all a gray area.

Have you heard any of that before?

It’s true, siding with the crowd is easier and it doesn’t usually draw negative attention, at least not right away. It does take a lot of energy to be the only one standing up for something or someone. Imagine knowing in advance what your actions and choices would do. Would you do them anyway? Would you stand up for what was right even if you knew you would be condemned for it? Most likely would not, but I know One Who did. Jesus. Everything was black and white with Jesus. Right was right and wrong was wrong. Religious leaders tried to trick Him by disguising right as wrong and wrong as right, but Jesus was not fooled by their trickery. His yes was yes and His no was no, even though He knew He would be hated and killed for standing up for what was right. That is conviction. He loved everyone, but He didn’t alter His convictions in order to love them. He loved in honesty and truth.

“Not everything is as black and white as it seems.” But what if it is?

No one wants to think they are doing something wrong, therefore society clings to its gradient tool. It blurs the line between right and wrong so no one can call anyone out on anything…and if they do, they are berated for being judgmental. But here’s the thing about the gradient tool; it is easily combated with the ‘fill tool’. Using the fill tool, one click of the mouse will erase the gradient. An object goes from blurred to all black or all white. Just like when we read God’s word, we have the ability to see the line He clearly draws and no one and no society, no matter how hard they try, can change that. God’s word is as black and white as it seems.

So, in a world that tries to use its gradient tool to blur your vision and convince you that up is the new down and left is the new right, be a fill tool user instead. Fill your heart and mind with God’s word and combat the blur. Pray to have the discernment to see things as black and white as He sees them, because He, my friends, needs to be The Power of (our) Perspective!