Recently I was forced to be among family due to a celebration I could not avoid. However I also could not avoid overhearing a conversation between a couple of them huddled in the kitchen about "how the scene of the world is changing", "how this turmoil in the Middle East shows that we are sooooo close to the great tribulation" and other wacky statements that JWs relish.
My first thought was . Then it was, "Seriously? The scene of this world is changing? Turmoil in the Middle East is a sign? When in the history of man has there not been turmoil in that region?" Then I thought, "Wait a minute. This isn't necessarily a bad thing anyway. People are standing up for their rights as human beings. How is that bad?"
But I didn't say anything. I just stood there out of sight, listening to them pat themselves on the back about how great it is to be "part of Jehovah's Organization", and how "the Society is always a step ahead of world events."
Then a smile crept across my face when the realization set in that I had successfully escaped such ridiculous, deluded thinking. That may well have been me seven years ago, standing there making a fool of my self-righteousness.
I left that party thankful things had played out in my life in a way that opened my eyes, but also disappointed that no one else in my family has experienced such relief. Maybe someday.
