For Argument's Sake, Can We Stop Arguing?
Remember when Facebook used to be a rather pleasant way to share photos, ideas, thoughts, and the occasional exchange of life updates? I do. Now I constantly dread logging on in order to do these outdated practices because of the constant negativity and lashing out among.. well, everyone. Christian against Christian, Christian against non-believer, non-believer against non-believer. And I don't mean the slight disagreement accompanied with a very cordial comment. I mean the name-calling, the harshness in text-tone (Yes, I just made that up but you know it's a thing), and the rudeness that is being bestowed on another human being. Reminder-We are all different and therefore have different opinions, ideas, thoughts, desires, etc.. Why people constantly resort to force in order to have someone that differs from them, become like them, I will never understand. Someone, somewhere, will disagree with what I've written so far, and guess what.. THAT'S OKAY. You're not me. And I'm not you. I don't expect you to be like me. If you were exactly like me, don't you think that would make who God made me to be a little less special, and make you a little less special?
"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."
-Proverbs 10:12
I know the topics of the NFL team kneeling and the legacy of Hugh Hefner, are probably worn out, but guess what? I'm me, and I have an opinion. You can agree or disagree. I don't expect someone reading this to agree with anything or everything or disagree with anything or everything. You're you and I'm me. So to begin with the topic of football players kneeling, I simply say this.. As Americans, they have that right. They are peacefully protesting which is very well within their rights as Americans. Yes, they are kneeling and not standing with their hand over their heart. Okay, how many of you do that every single time you hear the national anthem, even when it's on t.v.? Oh, got you with the t.v. part, didn't I? What's the difference? It's still the anthem, right? How many of you remove your hats? Be honest, you've kept them on once or twice. That's considered disrespectful. But you're not taunted and heckled by your neighboring sports fanatic. Chances are they don't notice such a travesty because it's not a big deal to them or to you. Yes, the military is amazing at preserving the rights we have, but those rights do include the right to peaceful protesting and no one should be made to feel ashamed or scared to do so. The President (who in himself is his own topic) should never name call or belittle his fellow countrymen regardless of their differing stances or issues they are wanting to draw attention to with their peaceful protesting. As a proclaiming Christian, he should know better (as should us all) because,
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7
We, as Christians, are called to be a light unto the nations. How can we be a light if all anyone is seeing is the constant bickering and discord that we're not only showing to each other, but also unbelievers? We are hurting the kingdom of God. This brings me to the second topic, Hugh Hefner. I've seen so many articles about the womanizing man that he was (which I don't disagree with) vs the great man that he was. But the womanizing articles are solely focused on the insanity of being sad for the passing of this man. WAKE UP CHRISTIANS. GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSES. Hugh Hefner was a man that died without knowing Christ. We SHOULD be mourning his death. Imagine if someone had stopped turning their nose up at him and holding him to a believer's standard, and instead treated him as an unbeliever that desperately needed Christ and actually made the effort to share the gospel with him. Imagine if one of the biggest "playboys" had been treated as a priority that desperately needed Christ instead of using his death as simply a way to bash and negate very real lusts and desires that BELIEVERS also struggle with and have LONG before Hugh Hefner came along. We as believers need to stop blaming our struggles on nonbelievers and instead, accepting the blame because we are sinners and need to be looking to Christ.
We have been failing our calling. We act entitled instead of humbled that God would love such crooked sinners such as ourselves. We do not deserve the slightest bit of grace that He bestows upon us, but that we love to flaunt around nonbelievers and those we may see as "less Christian".
"The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel. The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear."
-Isaiah 2: 11-17
God has been putting the book of Isaiah on my heart the past few days, and I believe It's wisdom needs to be shared.
"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?"
-Isaiah 2:22
Our eyes to be refocused on God instead of man. As believers, we are called to be different... It's time that we started acting like the men and women that God called us to be, instead of the men and women that the world wants to see.
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