It's Not All Doom and Gloom Out There

There is a lot of sadness in the world. Every time we hear awful news, we can think ‘not again.’ It can seem as if we don’t even have time to digest previous happenings before some new tragedy unfolds.

Sometimes it can feel like that’s all that is going on. Bad stuff.  Maybe it’s because we feel those emotions so deeply. We carry them around with us for awhile. It takes us time to recover.

But good things happen too. And they are happening today. Around us. It’s not ALL bad out there. I see the good going on too. God is still good and He’s still DOING good.

I think we expect ‘good’ to be normal. We deem the ‘bad’ as not normal. In reality, BOTH are normal parts of a life.  Because we see the good things as things that should always be going on in our normal life, we don’t register them as much. We don’t see that they happen often. We are blessed OFTEN.

Yes. There is bad going on in the world. We live in a hurting world. But there is also good going on.  We just need to open our eyes a little bit more to see it. We need to not let it sweep by in a whiff – but digest it just as we do the hard things. Let the emotions of the good be felt just as deeply as the bad. Tears of praise and gratitude can stick with us just as long as grief, if we allow them to!

We do ourselves a huge misservice to think it’s all “doom and gloom” out there. I’d like to challenge you to see the “praise and glory” in your world instead. I think it will rattle your world as you see that angels are working just as hard (if not harder) than the demons.

Life is a battle. Yes. But every battle doesn’t end in a loss. There are plenty of wins going on in life today. Look for them. SEE them. Feel them. Love them.

And thank God for them.

The Unpopular Opinion

Our voices. I think sometimes we forget that there is power in a voice. We forget that we have a duty and a right to stand up for injustices in life. We grow afraid.

What is happening to our world?

It seems to me that we’ve gotten to a point where we’d much rather stay quiet and keep our opinions to ourselves, than voice them on “hot” subjects or topics because of our fear of being laughed at, or ostracized.

I wonder if Abe Lincoln had those fears? Martin Luther King? Or was their belief in human rights and dignity stronger? Did they know they had to fight for what was right regardless of whether or not the masses approved?

Sometimes we have to just simply do the right thing – SAY the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. You can break it down as simply as that.

As children of God, we have a duty to speak up and to get involved if the situation calls for it. We are warriors. GOD’S warriors. We aren’t here to protect our image and grow popular. We are here to fight for a kingdom. GOD’S kingdom.

I think we’ve forgotten that.

It’s easier to be liked. Welcomed. Adored. Accepted. It’s easier to fit in.

The only way we’d ever want to stand out is if it’s in a good way and everyone else wants to be like us. We certainly don’t want to stand out because our opinion or voice doesn’t match everyone else’s!

We are too quiet. Too accepting of compromise, apathy, injustice, and moral depravity. We look at it as “them” and simply remove ourselves from the equation. But we ARE part of the equation. This is OUR society. Not THEIR society. This is OUR world. We live in it. And if we think the political, moral, and social decisions that are made won’t ever affect us we are sadly mistaken.

We have a voice. We need to stand up for the unborn children who are killed. We need to make our voices heard on behalf of all of the Christians being massacred, kidnapped, brutalized, and killed for their faith. We need to speak up about God’s stance and view on marriage and purity. We need to reach out and take care of the widows and the orphans. Not just across the world – but our own people in our own churches.

We need to. We have to. Don’t you want to? Is your heart stirred? Is it broken for what breaks God’s?

Why do we believe in a God…in a faith that we aren’t willing to take a stand for? I’m sure Queen Esther was challenged with that question when she had to risk her position, image, and LIFE for her people.

I’d like to see God come through and show His glory like He did for Esther because I stood for what was morally right and true. Wouldn’t you? But in order to do that, we must first speak up.

And use the voice that He has given us.

So Many People Are Hurting Here At Home

America. It’s the land of dreams. The land of freedom. Everyone wants to come here.

I am so lucky to live here. To be born here. I could have been born anywhere in the world and not been able to have the same privileges and freedoms that I have. But, no, I was born in America. And I’m so thankful.

I’ve been to just a few countries. I’ve gone on the mission field a few times and I’ve seen the value in it as well as the shortcomings. I’ve seen what I feel is missing in people’s lives – here at home.

Everyone seems to be talking these days about the need to go to Africa, India, Philippines, Guatemala, Haiti and more. And it IS needed. The poverty in other countries is unfair. But it’s real. We are privileged people and they need our help – because we have the help to give.

But I’ve also had my eyes opened to how many people are hurting here at home. How AMERICA is becoming a mission field. A little bit from poverty, but also from wounds that are deeper than that.; personal and just as hurtful and life altering.

In our own churches and neighborhoods we are ignoring those who live right amongst us. We fail to help someone who is moving and could use help packing up. We hug someone who just lost a spouse or loved one, but we don’t do anything else. No meal, no help mowing their yard or getting them some groceries. We chat and are kind to people we know and love, but struggle to get to know those who are different than us; those who may be gripping with very real internal battles of wanting to kill themselves….or others because they feel so very alone.

Yes. People are hurting here at home. Do we see them? Do we want to? Or do we just focus on other countries because the needs are so apparent for all to see?

I want to see those who are hurting around me. I want to love them and encourage them and hopefully give their lives some joy and hope. I do still want to travel to other countries from time to time so that I won’t lose perspective of all I have….but I want to be a missionary in the land God placed me, as well. America.

We won’t be a land of dreams someday, or a land of freedom, if we continue to ignore the needs of those we live amongst.

The hurting. The neglected. The different. The unloved.

They are here.

Do you see them?

When It Feels Like The World Wants My Blood

One Night With a King is one of my very favorite movies. I have a lot of favorite movies – but this one is up near the top. It is the story of Queen Esther and how her courage saved the Jewish people from annihilation.

There is a point near the end of the movie where she has to summon up the courage to tell her husband (King Xerxes) that he issued an order to kill her people – and that that order also meant she was to be killed.  She had to do this in front of the very man who talked him into it because of his hatred for the Jews. Up until this time, Esther had concealed her heritage and it was not known that she was a Jew.

With great passion she says, “he wanted their blood. MY blood!” 

That is how I feel on some days.

I am a woman. So that brings up a lot of safety issues. In a world that is increasingly sexually deviant, I have to be very safety conscious. I have two daughters that I have to worry about as well.

Then, I am an American. I can’t simply travel anywhere anymore just being an American woman. I have to worry about someone wanting to harm me not just because I’m a woman…but also because I’m an AMERICAN woman. They hate me simply because I’m American.

And to top that off, I’m a Christian. I’m a female, American Christian. 

Society isn’t too kind towards Christians these days. They deem us “intolerant” when really; they are intolerant of us. Any trace of what we believe, is being rubbed out, obliterated, and erased as quickly as possible from society.

Yes, some days it feels like the world wants my blood.  Simply because of who I am and what I believe.

I haven’t done any crime. I haven’t hurt anyone. I just exist. And for that, there is a mark out for my life.

If you think I’m being extreme, think again.  Saeed Abedini is sitting in an Iranian prison being beaten, tortured, and denied medical treatment even though he is suffering internal bleeding and his kidneys are failing. He is American. He is a Christian. And he has done no crime. He is going through all of this simply because of who He is and what He believes. They wanted his blood, and they are currently getting it.

There are men and women all over the world like Saeed, who are sitting in prisons and labor camps simply because of what they believe.

I think we forget that this life is a battle. We forget what forces are at play and we go about our business ignoring the injustices in society because they don’t “affect me.” At least that’s what we tell ourselves.  But we are wrong. They do. The more morality deteriorates, the quicker the world will think what was once good is now bad. And that includes people with morals and values like me.

I am seen as the enemy because I speak truth. I believe truth.

And just as Queen Esther begged for King Xerxes to spare her people and save her blood, I, too, beg for it. I beg for people to not allow the world to unfairly treat Christians simply because of their faith. I beg for every nationality to not hate another simply because of their race.

Blood isn’t something cheaply given.

It’s good to remember that every time blood is shed, there WILL be a price.  Some day.

Every life matters. Every life has value.

Let’s stop seeking each other’s blood and instead start fighting for it.