Today’s Thought “Internal Conflict” G. Ward

Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.” Mark 12:17

People movin' out People movin' in
Why, because of the color of their skin
Run, run, run, but you sho' can't hide
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
Vote for me, and I'll set you free
Rap on brother, rap on
Well, the only person talkin'
'Bout love thy brother is the preacher
And it seems,
Nobody is interested in learnin'
But the teacher
Segregation, determination, demonstration,
Integration, aggravation,
Humiliation, obligation to our nation
Ball of Confusion
That's what the world is today

The sale of pills are at an all time high
Young folks walk around with
Their heads in the sky
Cities aflame in the summer time
And, the beat goes on

Air pollution, revolution, gun control,
Sound of soul
Shootin' rockets to the moon
Kids growin' up too soon
Politicians say more taxes will
Solve everything
And the band played on
So round 'n' round 'n' round we go
Where the world's headed, nobody knows
Just a Ball of Confusion
Oh yea, that's what the wold is today

Fear in the air, tension everywhere
Unemployment rising fast,
The Beatles' new record's a gas
And the only safe place to live is
On an indian reservation
And the band played on
Eve of destruction, tax deduction
City inspectors, bill collectors
Mod clothes in demand,
Population out of hand
Suicide, too many bills, hippies movin'
To the hills
People all over the world, are shoutin'
End the war
And the band played on.

The gyrating that took place on the dance floor in 1970 (from Motown’s (my hometown) Temptations most outstanding lyrical expression of a chaotic era in America), had my siblings and me participating greatly. The rhythmic drum and bass line demanded immediate motion from those good at dancing. I’ll need for you to know, this excluded my brother. He mainly acted as the disc jockey. Later in life he perfected moves esoteric to his little world.

Furthermore, these lyrics promoted a cadence indicative of the title of the song; “Ball of Confusion.” Sadly, inasmuch as this genre in music was relative to social change (or the violation thereof), forty plus years later, its relevance exists. We’ve neglected to excel due to our reliance on a system (perhaps governmental, religious or social), to effectuate needed change. Jesus, our Lord was strongly opposed to all three. Contrary to popular belief, HE was never an Agent for social change, nor did He have problems with government (cf. Ro.13:1), but didn’t regard as synonymous with eternal matters and He most certainly abhorred religion. We’ll progress only when deciding that Holy God is Sufficient for every era, by surrendering to His perfect will over our very own (Lk.22:42). Until then, And the band played on.  Happy Monday!