Repent vs. deflect
Observation of the dialogue (or lack thereof) during and after the recent election has got me focusing on deflection and its cousin projection.
I have noted that a lot of folks when they were confronted with the limitations of their candidate quickly responded with "but what about . . .," deflecting the conversation away from the original conversation, focusing on another person. Deflection is the way we avoid the problems with our perspectives, and frankly ourselves. Deflection is a way for us not to have to repent, a means for us to put the blame on someone else. Projection, again deflection's cousin, serves to take our issues and place them on other people. It's the same tiring game. Don't deal with our issues; make them someone else's. What if we could truly repent? What if life is not about looking elsewhere for blame? That is indeed the freedom that the Christian gospel invites us into.