I attended the 2016 Red State Gathering in Denver, Colorado, over the weekend, thinking it would be a great opportunity to connect with some of my co-laborers in the conservative cause, which it was. But it was also a time to hear from many of the Conservative voices we’ve come to know over the years: Erick Erickson, Leon Wolf, Katie Pavlich, Ed Morrissey, Glenn Beck, Carly Fiorina, and Senator Ben Sass (R-NE), just to name a few.
While there was an abundance of the “Conservatives rock” attitude you would expect from such an event, there was also a recurring theme about the need for Conservatives to stand for truth in order to save our civilization as we prepare for what is likely to be a very dark time in America following the November election, regardless of who wins.
Though sobering, I also found this challenge to be very encouraging.
For quite some time, I’ve struggled to identify why I felt so down about our choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, two of the most deceitful people to ever seek the office of president. We’ve had to vote for the lesser of two evils in the past. Why was this election so different?
Part of the answer to this question comes from the realization that we are witnessing what could realistically be the end of to our great Republic, and neither Trump or Hillary are going to change that. In fact, he or she will hasten it. Mark Levin often refers to this “post-constitutional America” where the tyranny of protecting position and beating the other guy replaces the principles of liberty and freedom.
So, what’s so encouraging about that? It’s encouraging because you and I exist. The reality that we are alive at this moment in human history right here, right now means that God has chosen us to be the remnant he can use to save America.
In the movie, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo regrets his responsibility to save Middle Earth as he begins to realize the incredible cost of carrying the ring to Mordor.
Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
We may wish that none of the things we are witnessing had ever happened, but that’s not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time God has given us. There are forces at work bent on destroying America, but there are other forces as well, which means we are not alone in the journey. And the fact that we are here at such a time as this means that we are the ones chosen to bear this burden.
As Gandalf told Frodo, “That is an encouraging thought.”
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” His articles can also be found on RedState.com.
His daily radio commentary is nationally syndicated with Salem Radio Network and can be heard on stations across America.
