I’ll be quite honest. I don’t usually voice my opinion loudly on matters of my heart that happen to be on the forefront of the media and its ensuing minefield. While I do have a solid belief system that is Biblically-based, and I see areas in black and white most times, rather than cowardice (yes, I said that) shades of gray, I don’t always stand on a platform and scream out loudly and boldly what I believe on these important, yet politically-charged and manipulated issues. It’s just too much sometimes, so I don’t.
But some days that’s harder than others. Some days, like today, I see something on the news or social media and I grieve. I see something so sad to my spirit that my whole body wants to cry. My every fiber wants to scream, when did we become so blind, and what of our future?
In these moments I worry for my children, and I question my decision to bring innocent life into such a confused and twisted world.
I see videos sensationalizing a woman’s decision to abort her unborn child, complete with laughter and vacant eyes. I see stories of little girls losing their identity, and losing the security of being told their God-given gender. I wonder the selfish, political motives, and my heart breaks.
I wonder when or how we became a society that can become seething with hatred for a man tying a dog to a stake in the grass without water on a hot day, and cry out vehemently for justice for this poor puppy, yet sit idly back over the murder of hundreds of thousands of babies annually by the hands of abortion? (Yes, I said that too.)
When did we become so desensitized to what the Bible clearly states as sin that we use witty sarcasm to poke fun at pro-lifers who have the audacity to stand up and speak aloud their beliefs that abortion is murder?
I wonder if these same comical combatants of the “ignorant, close-minded sheep,” as they tend to label pro-lifers, have ever personally experienced the devastating loss and regret a woman experiences for the rest of her life following the decision to abort? I wonder if they know the pain she feels in her heart when she looks at her children with love, but hates herself for letting the one go? I wonder if they knew the repercussions if they would still support the lifelong scarring of a mother’s heart in the name of “a woman’s right to choose.”
I get upset for the world in which we find ourselves transversing, and I wonder when our collective consciouses lost out to words like progression and tolerance. I mourn the death of our moral compass, and I wonder when we stopped speaking out for what is right, and instead bowed our heads silently hoping that God would prevail despite our lack of action one way or the other.
In our fear of losing our witness, and being seen as intolerant, hate-mongers we have opted for silent indifference, and I am as guilty as anyone.
Because I really care what people think. When they see me I want them to see Jesus. I want them to see love and acceptance in my life because it truly exists for them in my heart. But my fear that they’ll see otherwise keeps me silent when tricky, controversial topics come to the table.
I watch from “the basement” that Jen Hatmaker speaks so fondly of, and while I can agree with so much of the reasoning and motivational love behind her statements, I wonder if our desire to bring people gently into God’s family hasn’t compromised our ethics. I wonder if we’ve had our heads in the sand and our wringing hands in our lap while society has pushed inch by inch, and we’ve inadvertently and sheepishly given them a mile.
In our desire to witness to others of God’s mercy, and our innermost struggle to pour out Christ’s love while being without compromise of His word, we have allowed what should be wrong to just be ordinary. Murder is becoming mundane, and blatant sin is becoming common occurrence.
In our desire to show how saintly we are, and how accepting we can be, we have allowed sin to become the status quo. We proclaim boldly, “A sin is a sin, and all are equal in the eyes of our Maker,” and while this is certainly true, it’s been allowed to become an excuse to continue on a path of defiance to God, because after all, ending the life of an innocent baby or going against God’s instruction for marriage and family is the same as gossiping about your neighbor or lying on your taxes. Right?
Some days, like today, it’s just not easy for me to sit back and watch. It’s not enough for me to pray silently to God, have mercy on us Lord. Perhaps my words of courage for my belief system will fall silently to the dirt, not impacting a single person, but for that reason should I keep my grief to myself? As long as my words are justified and spoken in love can’t God use them? Would He want any less from me?
But He doesn’t desire our arguments, nor does He simply desire our firm, verbal stance. He desires our actions as well.
We can’t make a stand against abortion, but not personally support the innocent children in our midst. We must support the orphans and the abused.
We can’t speak on the sanctity of marriage, but not honor our own. He can’t continue in a manner of infidelity or pornography. (That includes Christian Grey ladies. Sorry.)
We can’t speak on acting in God’s love, grace, and forgiveness if we’re unwilling to walk in such.
It is a difficult thing I have decided, to stand firm for God’s truth yet act in love. I’m not sure if we’ll ever get it right. No matter how kind your words some will only see hate. They will feel conviction, but will label it as intolerance. Should that keep me from standing up for what I believe to be true? I don’t think so.
I realize that my children are watching me, and while I may be unable to change the world they are growing up in, I can impact it one life at a time. My kids will grow up knowing what is right and what is wrong based on scripture, God’s voice in their hearts, and the example I set in speaking for truth. And perhaps through their tiny lives I can make a difference in this world.
Being a Christian isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s plain hard. In today’s society it seems to be more difficult than ever. But somehow realizing that I have done right by my children makes me grieve less. There is hope in the children, and there is hope in the future. No matter the ugliness that abounds, there is always hope. And I’ll speak for that.
Carolyn Potts says
Brie, I think you’ve conveyed feelings and thoughts from many Christian hearts. Thank you for putting these thoughts out there for others to contemplate. In today’s world view these feelings and thoughts are indeed foreign!! Gods word is constantly telling us to stand strong and there is a reason for that! I wonder just how many are really ready to put on the whole armor to do battle with the spirits of darkness that are all around us for the sake of our country, our communities, our schools, our children, but more importantly for our God because that is what He would have us do. Stay strong, stand firm.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much for commenting and for your support.