Why I'm Voting for Donald Trump

Recently, my sister shared with me about the Franklin Graham prayer rally in Rhode Island that she and her husband were able to attend. 

She spoke to me about how Graham had encouraged evangelical Christians in America to vote in the upcoming election . . . because so much is at stake. He also encouraged Christians to be active in their local communities, local school boards, local politics--because the voice of one Christian standing for truth can make a difference through the grace of God--William Wilberforce is an excellent example of that principle. 

Many times as Christians we are tempted to shrink back, to cower under the oppressive liberal policies that are being enacted in our country. We don't want to step out and speak for fear that we will be ridiculed and ostracized. But the Bible speaks to us about that (Mark 8:38)--and we must put on the full armor of God in holy boldness and continue to speak the truth, even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation--no matter how difficult--and it is difficult. 

Other times as believers, we are just too comfortable. Persecution hasn't really hit us yet--and we are enjoying our cozy-middle-class-lifestyle as we watch the evening news and bemoan liberal policies from our plush couches in our cozy pajamas. But persecution will come. It is already coming. And if we don't begin to take that fact seriously and fall to our knees, I fear that many will be unable to process the changes that take place and crumble when they come. 

And then there is yet another stream of thought that I have encountered. That to vote for Donald Trump in the coming election would be morally unconscionable. And you and I must both vote our conscience. But for these reasons (among many others), I intend to vote for Donald Trump. I am praying that many other believers will choose to do the same and that is why I share these thoughts with you:

I am voting for Donald Trump . . . 

To slow the tide of evil
The evil ushered in under a Clinton presidency is beyond comprehension. From LGBT issues and hate-crime laws, to transgender propaganda and legislation to pro-abortion measures, the list goes on and on. To vote for Trump may slow this tide and preserve something of the dignity and decency that this country has left. 

For my children's sake
Our children and grandchildren are almost certainly facing a future of repression and persecution if they claim the name of Christ. If the country continues in the direction that it has taken under President Obama, the downward slope can only continue. Do we care about the future of our loved ones? If we do, now is the time to stand while we still can. 

To protect religious liberty
The recent court cases such as this one, are an indication of where this country is headed and has already arrived. More and more Christians will be affected by these decisions if this trend continues. We have the opportunity to preserve our religious liberties, to freely speak the Gospel, to practice Christianity, to homeschool our children, and the list goes on. A presidency under Trump would most definitely only help the cause of Christians and allow the Gospel to continue to freely go forward. 

To protect and to save the unborn
I will just briefly touch on this. We have murdered millions of children in the United States, and Hillary Clinton would like to continue this trend in wider, more far-reaching ways. How can we, by not casting our vote for Trump, encourage such unimaginable evil to continue? We have to search our hearts in this. 

When I consider these things, I cannot in good conscience not cast my vote for Donald Trump. We all know that voting for a write-in candidate or not voting at all will only propel the opposition forward. By not voting for Trump we are essentially allowing evil to triumph in such multitudinous ways and with such devastating effects, that I must doubt the sanity of some believers, not their conscience. And so I urge you to consider these things--for your own sake, for your children's sake, for the country's sake and finally for the the sake of the Lord who has still given us tongues to speak and the ability to cast our vote for someone who will not destroy the future of this country irreparably and bring such a flood of ungodliness and shame that cannot be fully imagined. So pray. And vote. And trust that the Lord will honor the prayers of His people. 

This article written by Wayne Grudem was excellent and helped me to direct my thoughts on this subject. Please read it and consider his thoughts. 



You might find me on these link-ups:


Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp

Forgetfulness

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,

And her people a joy.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem,

And joy in My people;

The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,

Nor the voice of crying.

Isaiah 65:17-19 NKJV

The water was almost warm, delightful on our feet, its spray grasping the edges of our rolled up pants. 

We laughed and we watched a great kite soar over the expanse and the seagulls swooping low in the soft blanket of sky above, and the waves licking the salty sand, reaching and then drawing back. 

And then we sat on the ocean's sand and ate doughboys and licked sugar and sand from our fingers and delighted in the swiftly dipping sun casting golden shadows over the melting day, the delicious air cooling us off and playing with the ends of our humid-sticky hair. 

There, all of a sudden, a thought came. I had completely forgotten about a project that I had been working on. A project that was taking time and energy and that I was fretting over at times. I had completely forgotten about it in these delightful moments soaking in the beauty of the Lord's creation and majesty. 

I had forgotten.

Another day, and I was sitting on the porch swing, taking a short break from the heat with my 1-year-old on my lap while my 2-year-old daughter and my mom threw crumbs of bread to the sparrows sweetly hopping around on the grass. 

A little group of sparrows drew my eye. There they sat, a happy gathering in the golden afternoon sunlight, basking in the provision and protection of our yard, chirping and enjoying the beauty and peace of the late afternoon day. 

Thinking of nothing but their present contentment and safety. Forgetful of fear.

These isolated incidents, these cherished moments reminded me of a truth in the Scriptures and brought me comfort and joy. 

The truth of forgetfulness. 

Of the day that the Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes, when we will behold Him in beauty and majesty and light . . . 

When we will no longer be able to remember the things that brought us sorrow and pain and suffering. 

When we will be like Him, gazing upon Him, worshiping Him, delighting utterly in Him.

Death will be swallowed up in victory. 

The former things will be remembered no more . . . no longer will they come upon the heart.  (Isaiah 65:17)

Free to worship. Free to praise. Free to know Him completely and without the distraction of sin and its effects. 

Free. 

And forgetful. 

Of hurts and tears and sighs and losses and sorrows and tears. 

Remembering His mercy, and delighting in His love for all eternity. 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Every Day Jesus, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup

Para-sailers, Props, and Freedom to Walk on the Waves . . .

May the love of Jesus fill me, as the waters fill the sea -

Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.

--Kate B. Wilkinson

The wind stole around us as we neared the ocean's edge.

And we left the stroller and climbed down to the rocks, near the delightfully-refreshing waves. 

It was a hot, sticky day, the sun smoldering, the air tepid and still. 

We walked here for refreshment and a change of scene before supper. My husband pushed Debbie along, her chubby legs swinging in the heat. 

I carried our two-week-old baby, trying to get used to the wrap that he was neatly tucked inside, thinking for a brief moment of the Middle-eastern women who wore their babies with such ease, the wrap an aid to help them with their work. 

I needed some help . . . 

And we touched our feet on the rocks near the shore and Debbie threw them into the great water one by one, her little self delighted in the splashes that followed. 

My husband skimmed shells over the waves and we watched while a para-sailer performed there in the ice-blue water.

I marveled at his skill, which was impressive and then a thought came to me-- "Jesus could walk on the waves without any equipment." 

And I looked into the sky and saw the great kite that carried his board and that aided him over the vast expanse of the ocean. 

There were sea birds, soaring in the sky near him -- without ropes, without props -- just doing what God made them to do -- soaring--next to that para-sailer in the wind. 

God gave them wings, and God created them to fly -- the God who also walked on waves and calmed the raging sea in the storm.

Sometimes I think that I need all of this "equipment" to do what God has called me to do--

At times when He is teaching me to walk by faith, I grow afraid and reach out for my great kite, for my strings, for my life-vest.

And although it is good to take precautions, to be prepared, sometimes I rely upon these things rather than upon Jesus, who would have me cast my self upon Him and let go of my "props". 

Now, I have nothing against para-sailers-- I only use them as an example here -- They are fascinating to watch-

And I have nothing against "props" to make life easier -- My Maya wrap has been an incredible help to me -- and so has my baby swing, my car-seats, and my daily cups (plural!) of coffee. 

But ultimately, I need to realize that it is Jesus who brings me through the day -- These things can be a help, but they are not the ultimate answer. 

And it's Him working through me that enables me to do anything that is worth anything, that has lasting value. 

When I try to hold onto my props, to my methods, apart from Him, it's just a performance. 

But His grace, His power working in and through us gives purpose. 

I want to exchange performance for purpose -- His purpose -- His will daily being worked out in and through me. 

I'd like to walk on the waves figuratively, taking His strength for each day--allowing Him to bend my heart and my will into the conformity of His purposes for me.

It's difficult for me to let go of my props, to walk by faith. 

It's easier to hang on to our ropes and our sail and our board. 

But when we do, we are lifted up, high into the great gust of His wonder and purpose, like the sea birds who dip into the wind and have no fear. 

His love enables us not to fear--

And to walk, to fly, by faith. 

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint

Isaiah 40:31

 

 

Photo credits:
1. bill85704 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)  

2. Andrew Morrell Photography / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

3.By Paul Bril [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

The Friend of Those Who Seek Him

To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”

-A.W. Tozer

 

"I have heard people say that 'only doctrine is important.' Would they leave no room for Christian experience? Consider the preaching and the example of the famed Jonathan Edwards, used so mightily by God in the Great Awakening throughout New England in the 18th century. But you say, 'Jonathan Edwards was a Calvinist!' I know--and that is my point. Edwards was acknowledged by society to have been one of the greatest intellects of his time. Yet he believed in genuine Christian experience so positively that he wrote a well-accepted book, Religious Affections, in defense of Christian emotion. Charged by some that his revivals had too much emotion, Edwards stood forth and proclaimed that when men and women meet God, accepting His terms, they experience an awareness that lifts their hearts to rapture. What higher privilege is granted to mankind on earth than to be admitted into the circle of the friends of God!"

  -A.W. Tozer

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”And he was called the friend of God.

James 2:23

"It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend."

-A.W. Tozer

It was a sunny day. An hour before supper and my husband was home, so I tucked Elisha into my sling and we all four traipsed down our dead end street and into the woods.


A hot and sticky summer day, but the evening-coming brought a bit of coolness into the air and the deeper we went into the lovely, hushing trees, the more bearable the heat became, even with a warm baby pressed to my body.


All my life, our dead-end street has led into these woods, and so I knew that sometimes dead-ends aren't that at all, but may lead into something delightful and deeper--


So Debbie's little feet scurried down the paths and we all hurried to keep up with her and the dust stuck to our sneakers and the prickly branches to our clothes--


And we stopped along the way and watched the ducks swimming at a safe distance in the pond nestled in the trees and we heard the beautiful, unhurried voices of songbirds and saw an adolescent cottontail frisk across the path and looked up into the great expanse of the trees and saw the touch of the Creator over every bit and we took pleasure in His handiwork.


It was a beautiful day.

And as we walked home and Debbie skipped a bit ahead, I knew a freedom in my soul that could only be the Great Father drawing my heart.


So many, many times I have walked through these woods and known doctrinally that the Lord is with me always, but this time, as at other times in the past, I knew a special sense of His presence with me -- the Holy Spirit speaking to me, drawing me near, touching my mind as I enjoyed His creation and yes, whispering His love to me.


Because He is a Person. And sometimes I can become so caught up in "doctrine" that I forget that He is a Person-


Doctrine is important. Because without it, the Person of God only becomes Who or what we imagine or want Him to be.


Doctrine puts flesh on experience and experience puts life and blood into doctrine and the two mesh and meet and become one and we are made alive in Him, in the living, breathing marriage of our faith.


Pure doctrine takes flight in the experience of divine Love.


And many times, especially in the more Reformed "camps" of thinking, we become afraid of "experience."


We shy away from the mystic writers and pride ourselves in "common-sense" Christian living, based upon the practical principles of the Word.


We are so carefully cautious that we become mummified and half-frightened specters of orthodoxy.


Vance Havner said, "Christianity is neither a corpse nor a ghost."


And it is a beautiful paradox that our minds and hearts can be engaged without being mutually exclusive of the other in our relationship with Jesus.


The more we love Him, the more He will reveal His Word to us. The more He reveals His Word to us, the more we love Him.


Christian "experience" when grounded in the Word of God is not something to be afraid of, but rather embraced.

Because doctrine without experience makes us into bloodless, lifeless corpses, and experience without doctrine makes us into unstable, flighty mountain-top-moment seekers.


We are driven by doctrine and softened by the experience of that doctrine being practically worked out.


One doesn't cancel out the other.


For a long time, I have enjoyed reading more supposedly "mystical" Christian writers--Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, Lillias Trotter, Thomas A'Kempis, and Ann Voskamp, among others.


Sometimes, these writers are "discouraged" within Reformed or more Conservative circles of Christianity, and though I believe that we need to use prayerful discernment as Christians (and feel hesitant when more emphasis is placed upon experience itself and not girded by sound doctrine), I also believe that it is an equal danger to become so "wary" of any Christian experience that we become spiritual stones -- all lovely and polished but dead on the inside.


I was encouraged when I discovered that A.W. Tozer (known for his incredibly solid doctrinal foundation) was a lover of the mystic writers.


I was delighted to discover this quote in his biography.


"Martyn Lloyd-Jones recalled, 'Dr. Tozer and I shared a conference years ago, and I appreciated his ministry and his fellowship very much. One day he said to me: 'Lloyd-Jones, you and I hold just about the same position on spiritual matters, but we have come to this position by different routes.' 'How do you mean?' I asked. 'Well,' Tozer replied, 'you came by way of the Puritans and I came by way of the mystics.'"


That I can be unshackled to experience God without fear is freeing to me.


Because our beings, our souls were created for a relationship, not a religion -- for a warm, intimate connection with a Heavenly Abba Father and with the Son who bore our sins in love and with the Spirit who enlightens and instructs and teaches us.


They are One -- and one with us -- through the believing, trusting orthodoxy of experiencing God -- deeper and deeper into the vast "forest" of the wonder of Who He is -- a realm of trees and streams and birdsong and loveliness that cannot be fully explored or explained in this life.


Because our relationship with Jesus is not a "dead-end street," but an experience of entering in -- into the great realm of all that He is, all that His precious Word communicates that He is.


And He is precious, a friend of those who seek Him.

Freedom in a Prison

“We do not usually learn that Christ is all we need until we reach that point where he is all we have!”

--Vance Havner

The great gray door swings shut and there is finality in its closing. The door is shut and the building is grim and the guards hold sentry, ever watchful of their captors.

A prison is a dismal place, the barbed wire fences speaking as if to say, “Don’t come inside, for you will never get out.” And those inside have more often than not broken the rules of society . . . There are others who never enter a prison because they haven’t broken society’s rules. But they have at some point in their lives, broken God’s. Every man is in chains until the blood of Christ frees him. Some chains are visible; some are unseen.

And some sit in prisons and they are weary and they are discouraged and they are hardened by the rough language, by the jagged behavior around them. They sit in prisons and wonder if they will ever be free, if their life will ever be redeemed or whether they are “stuck” for good. And it is just that they are there and justice has been served and they have “gotten” what they technically deserve.

The Gospel offers the hope and the freedom that we don’t deserve-- the Gospel that is able to emancipate men, to make them right with God, to set them loose from their prison so that they may praise His name.

Jesus brings freedom through prisons, through closed doors, through hopeless, waiting days of nothing but four gray walls and a sink and a latrine. Jesus visits prisons where no one else would set foot inside, lest others might think that they belong there, too. Jesus walks in prisons.

My brother-in-law Alex was blessed to be able to attend a Bible study this week that was led by a missionary that our church supports. It was in a prison. He had to undergo a background check and pass under the watchful eye of the prison guards there. He had to enter into that closed place so that he could feed upon the Bread of Life with free men in chains.

When he came home he said that the experience made him think of Vance Havner’s quote, “We do not usually learn that Christ is all we need until we reach that point where he is all we have!”

Often, men and women in prison are desperate. They have come to a place of desperation in their lives, committed some crime that further proves their desperation, and now sit silently behind the great gray walls that hold them and their desperation in. Some turn to the Lord in prison—why? Perhaps because they have come to the end of themselves. Perhaps because they finally realize their need for a Savior. Perhaps because they are lonely and weary and discouraged thinking of the joyless hours, days, years looming before them.

Jesus is joy and they cling to Him. Jesus is joy behind prison walls because He is freedom in chains. And the men and women who come to know Him in prison are often some of the most grateful because they realize that they have been forgiven much. And so they love much. The Son has set them free and they are free indeed.

So, for some, prison is worth it. Prison is worth it if the soul is united with its Maker and the spirit is set free to praise the God of heaven. When He is all we have . . . when family and friends have forsaken us. When the years stretch before us like dark-robed guards and threaten to suffocate our souls. When we realize that we have committed crimes too great, too heinous for words and that without forgiveness we will sink beneath the mire. When we don’t think that we can go another day without seeing the blue sky or without feeling the lovely crisp grass beneath our unchained feet.

He is salvation from prison. And there are other “prisons” that chain us and hold us down in the dark and threaten to overwhelm our souls. The “prison” of a spouse dying-- the loneliness, the pain, the utter grief of spirit, the “prison” of a painful divorce in which we have been the victim of bitter rejection, the “prison” of a long, drawn out disease that wracks our body and steals the joy of the light of day from our hearts.

And I can remember days, joyless days in the prison of a situation that I could not control, and thinking, if the sun was out and the birds were singing and the beauty of spring was in the air, “I wish it were dark and cold and gray,” because that is how I felt. I could not relate to light and to warmth and to grace and my soul was in agony. Until the Lord stooped down and I realized that He is all that I need. That “when all around my soul gives way, He the is ALL my hope and stay.” Until I realized that “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform” and that “behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.” He was all I needed. But His grace had to touch me and make me realize that, not only in my mind, but in my heart.

A prison can be the gateway to freedom when it makes a man or a woman recognize their need of Christ. And a spiritual prison can be the beginning of an open door, if we will allow the Holy Spirit to stoop to us in our need and help us, lifting our feet, like pilgrim out of the mire and setting them on solid ground.

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Humility

He was right, dead right, as he sped along

But he was just as dead as if he’d been wrong.

Frustration stiffens my neck and I fume inside. A pasty smile on my thin lips, thin pursed lips and the inside of my soul is burning. Again and again they flogged me, flogged my weary, worried body, bit into my soft skin with adder-venom and I bled. “Their words were like drawn spears . . . the poison of asps was under their tongue . . .” And it was so subtle, so “innocent,” so glassily beautiful, like a spider’s weaving in the placid night. 

The spider wove, threw her lacey fingers into her work and fastened strand upon sticky strand together. A masterpiece of sticky threads, perfect and deadly, the poison waiting, the jaws immaculately poised. The poison of words, the thrashing of a moment, and the still shell of the victim after it all. 

Unless . . . I do not fall into the web, into the web of deceit and distraction. Unless I thrust my body into the wind of truth and fly into the gust that drives me away from the woven prison. 

Sometimes there is a choice—sometimes the spider seeks to pull us in, to distract us with her garish beauty, and we become so caught up, so entangled in the fight that we end up powerless in a web of sorts, frustrated and empty. 

Often we fall prey to this attack. The enemy of our souls throws out his fiery dart, in the form of an argument, a misunderstanding, a blatant lie against us, a smearing of our reputation-unwarranted, unfounded, ungodly. The spider spins her web in the cover of darkness. The damage done, the adversary crouches in hiding. 

We see the web and we want to fight. We think that if only we can get in close enough, we can do battle with the perpetrator, with the one who authored our pain. 

Yet, if we enter into the web, our limbs become fastened, our hands tied, useless, the life sucked from our being—dead, cold, and still.  

Years ago, I learned a valuable lesson, one that I find I must continually re-learn . . . 

It was a lesson in humility. 

And I faced two options, so I thought, vascilating between them both, at a loss for clarity and direction. 

I found myself surrounded, as it were, on every side, and there was no respite, no reprieve in sight. 

And the two options that seemed the most obvious to me were to either valiantly attempt to outsmart/outwit the adversary—I could do it graciously; I could do it in a godly fashion, so I thought—Or, to try to reason with my “offender;” maybe I would not slip and get entangled in the web that was laid like a death-trap before me. 

I struggled and I fumbled and I failed until I learned that the answer was not to outsmart, to outwit. The answer was not to try to jump in and reason and then to pull myself out of the web that was intended for me. 

The answer was humility. 

There are times when another person, even another believer may set their will against yours, may seek to cause you harm, to wound your spirit, to render you powerless. Despite all of their best words, their intentions towards you are not peaceable; their words are smoother than oil, but are really a “drawn sword.” (Psalm 55:21) They do not wish you good; they intend evil toward you and would be very happy to see you fall into trouble or gain a bad reputation.  

I remember so clearly a certain situation in which I had been misunderstood by some and deeply wounded by others. I sought my mother’s advice and what she said took me back and frustrated me at the moment, until I learned that it was freedom for me and the only way that I could keep my conscience clear before God and men. 

She said, in essence, “Humble yourself, even if you are right, even if you have been done a great injustice. Humble yourself and pray that the Lord would enable you to sincerely love the person who is hurting you. Humble yourself and He will lift you up in due time. Do whatever it takes to show humility and grace towards those who have hurt you, for the sake of the Lord Jesus who bought you at a great price.” 

She wasn’t talking about cowering before an unjust attack, but instead, holding one’s head up in the confidence of Jesus, forgiving as one who has also been forgiven much. 

And if they accept it, good. May the Lord’s peace and grace and forgiveness reign in that situation. But if not, your conscience is set free to serve the Lord with fear and to continue in the path that the Lord has led you, to the glory of the Father. 

Satan would have us become distracted—distracted by our own frustrations, distracted by the way that those around us are hurting us, distracted by our own emotions. It is foolish to become distracted and doesn’t bring glory to God nor do us or anyone else any good. 

Humility keeps us from distraction, keeps our eyes fixed on Jesus, because they are no longer on ourselves. Humility emboldens and humility starves the pride that will maim the soul. 

The forms that humility may take will differ, and the reactions to it will be different as well. But there will be freedom and joy at the root of humility, a freedom and joy that cannot be snuffed out by the one who antagonizes us, by the spite or the sarcasm or the ridicule of the one who does us harm. 

And ultimately, the Lord, not I, is the one who can judge the utter motives of another’s heart. Perhaps you are surrounded by, as John Proctor described the lying witnesses in The Crucible, “marvelous pretenders.” The Lord knows the depths of each one’s inner being. 

But we do not need to be bound by pretense—instead, by the power of the Holy Spirit we may walk in the light, as He is in the light, loving sincerely from the heart, walking in the grace of humility—“slow to speak, slow to become angry, quick to forgive.” (James 1:19)

And ultimately trusting that in the last day all pretense and pride will be swallowed up by the fire of His awesome, all-revealing truth—

“For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”   I Corinthians 4:4-5