By Judith Cooley-
Current events relating to the pandemic- mandates, regulations, and various added anxieties- as well as “movements” bent on destruction in the name of social justice, exposure of evil behaviors that have long been veiled coming to light, and the political turmoil is a lot to process. With the amount of evil and animosity brewing today is hard to imagine being able to bear up under much more.
The toll these times are taking is severe. Just this week my husband and I were discussing the actions of a group we saw in a video doing just pure evil stuff and reveling in it. I felt stripped of yet more innocence and felt sickened by what I saw, and in frustration I said: “I am ashamed of being part of the human race.” My husband’s wise and simple was: “You’ve got to remember you’re not of this world.” The silence that followed was heavy as I considered that truth. I considered how eternal that felt and regained a bit of peace.
That simple truth brought me back to the proper mindset. Yes, things are bad and often times look very bleak, but God has equipped us to be lights, and we better not get comfortable where we are or become okay with what we are seeing, because we don’t belong here. We should never be okay with what we see going on in the world. We ought to be burdened and sickened and moved by what we see and wear the knees out of our jeans searching for truth, hope, and guidance. The only answer is JESUS. Jesus give us hope. Jesus give us strength. Jesus be our guide.
A message I heard this week ended with a call to action from Nehemiah to the people; he encouraged the people to fight. We must take this call to action to heart today. We must fight the forces of evil on behalf of our families. Fight for our neighbors against the darkness. Fight for our friends, strangers, and lost against eternal separation from God.
Don’t give up to the Devil. Don’t ignore the problems facing you or your community. Don’t shrink, don’t cower, don’t wallow. Be relentless in your prayers. Bombard heaven with pleas for salvation, restoration, grace, courage, or deliverance. Whatever we ask in His name, He will give it.
I am highly introverted and my initial instincts are usually to become reclusive. Sometimes, I feel like if I wash my hands of society I’ll feel better, and society can do whatever it wants without me. This is errant logic, though. Jesus walked among the hurting. Jesus touched the untouchable. He called out to the lost. He forgave the unforgiveable. If Jesus, who was pure and perfect, could see the value in such flawed things as humans and love them so immensely, shouldn’t I be able to love as well? Jesus didn’t come for the dogs, cats, fish and birds; He came for the flawed, messy and broken human beings.
I’ve asked God to forgive my comment made in frustration, because we are all made in His image. To be a human is a gift beyond compare. We have been purposefully made. We have been lovingly chosen. We have been redeemed and ransomed from a life of evil, shame, and misery for the very righteousness of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
More importantly, like my husband reminded me, my true identity is heir of heaven, daughter of the one true King. I know I can withstand what the world throws because I am not of this world. I stand on the word of God not on the events of man. I harken to the Spirit stirring within rather than the voices screaming beyond.
To all those feeling a bit overwhelmed by the world this week, take heart. Repeat these words until they are entrenched in your soul. I am called, I am redeemed, I am loved, and I am a light. I am human, but more importantly I am His, and He wants to use me for His glory.
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah