How To Ride The Wave

Walk into any high school cafeteria at noon, and you will witness tribalism in its purest form. There is the athletes' table, the theater kids' corner, and the exclusive circle of popular students who police the perimeter with subtle glances. Long before adulthood, human beings develop an instinct to find safety in an insular group, adopting its uniforms, slang, and unwritten rules. In these spaces, loyalty to the group matters far more than individual character or truth.

As adults, we simply trade the cafeteria lunch trays for cable news channels, neighborhood enclaves, and political affiliations. We slip comfortably into a "us-versus-them" mentality where those in our camp are automatically deemed righteous, while everyone on the other side is branded as morally bankrupt. Ideology morphs into personal identity until we can no longer evaluate policies with clarity or nuance. We become terrified of speaking honestly about our own team's blind spots, fearing the swift social exile that awaits anyone who steps out of line.

Yet the gospel systematically dismantles our neat little camps. When Jesus instructed His disciples to cross the lake, Scripture notes that they had to leave the crowds behind to step into the boat with Him. Jesus did not pledge allegiance to the Roman Empire, nor did He align Himself with the Zealots or the Pharisees. He operated from a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, refusing to let earthly factions dictate His mission or His heart.

Following Christ requires having the courage to abandon the comfort of the crowd to stay in the boat with the Master. We can engage our civic duties without surrendering our eternal identity to temporary platforms. When we step away from the cafeteria table of political tribalism, we find true freedom standing beside the One who alone commands our total devotion.