- LIONAIRY
- Posts
- The Drift and the Return
The Drift and the Return
Weekly Edition #65: April 22nd, 2026
Verse(s) I Like:
“And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.”
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.”
Weekly Dose
If you are savvy with investments or financial markets, you know that progress is anything but linear. Things ebb and flow constantly.
Zoomed in, things can go from good to horrible, or even pointlessness. In the short-term, there is no limit on the amount of selective evidence you can find to embolden your nihilistic theories.
But this is a mistake. It requires a reframing, or a zoom out.
History is a brutal business, yes, but as we look to the past, we can see the progression of man.
The recognition of human rights, the eradication of diseases, the expansion of knowledge and education, the rise in overall living standards, etc.
Though things look tough, I find it best to zoom out, look to the future, bear the cycle, and keep the faith.
Quotes I Like:
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.”
“Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.”
Mane Message
If you read through the history of Israel’s kings, one thing becomes clear very quickly.
Progress is messy and fragile.
The nation doesn’t steadily improve from one generation to the next.
Instead, it not only oscillates, but occasionally, it seriously deteriorates.
A king will do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
He removes idols, restores worship, realigns the people.
But the next king can, and usually does, undo it. Not always violently, but subtly. Gradually.
The practices of the nearby peoples seep their way into Israel and the become normalized.
And the cycle repeats.
This rhythm is woven throughout 1 Kings and 2 Kings.
Moments of clarity followed by a season of compromise.
Now reading this shouldn’t serve to discourage, but to get us to ask, “What’s the point of reform if it doesn’t last?”
That’s misses the big picture.
Though mankind may be incapable of permanent perfection, we have the capability and, when we are oriented properly, the willingness to return to ‘the good.’
Kings like Josiah didn’t inherit a faithful system. He stepped into a mess.
What a load of work he must have been confronting. But what a purpose he had.
That choice matters. Every time.
Even though decline and decay are inevitable, so is the opportunity for redemption.
Weekly Ponder
How often do I mistake a temporary downturn with a permanent direction?
How do I stick with the fight towards progress?
Enjoying our Content?
Onward and Upward!
