The Bible is filled with examples of people, who when called by God, answered with hesitation. Moses, Esther, Jonah – all called, all unsure. In the case of Gideon, he too had reservations when he was called to save the Israelites. Although the Lord recognized Gideon’s spirit of strength and courage – as he secretly threshed wheat to feed his family – Gideon could not see that for himself.
Experiencing the power of God does not make us immune to doubt. For the challenges that we have yet to overcome and the promises that we are waiting to see bloom, patience and faith can start to grow weary with time. For matters furthest from the heart, having faith can seem so simple – almost to the point of making us believe we are impenetrable.
It’s the question that’s losing interest and a promise that has seemed to fall a bit short. Is Jesus coming back? Is this it? Are we approaching the end? Do we even believe there really is an end? And for those of us yelling from the rooftops that we indeed believe Jesus is coming back, we have to be honest and ask ourselves if our actions reflect that ideology.
To stand for what is right, can put us on the fringes of societal opinion. It can isolate us from those we care about and the people we interact with on a daily basis. At times, these pressures cause us to stay silent. Yet every day, there are people who are willing to take a stand for causes that go so far against what God would have for us.
There is a way in which we design the stories of our lives – giving insight to who we are and what we value. Our dreams interconnect with our hopes as we set out to build lives that bring us joy and happiness. Yet there is a way in which God designs the purpose of our lives. And just like in the case of Jonah, knowing God’s direction doesn’t mean that we’re always interested in complying.
No matter the political climate, we should not act of fear and hatred. If anything, now is the time to be courageous and act out of love.
