just breathe...

okay, now that the shock of the news has passed, and Jesus hasn't come back to rescue all of us, we need to stop and assess the damage.  after a firefight ends in a war, the troops take time to assess the damage on both sides, and there is damage to both sides.  i witnessed some of the most reprehensible behaviour on both sides yesterday that i have seen on disgracebook in a long time.  while it was to be expected that the side benefited by the ruling would do some celebrating, there was indeed some that went beyond celebration into the taunting realm.  that doesn't bother me much.  again, why should i expect people who don't live by the principles of Scripture that i do, to live by them in that instance?  however, what did disturb me was the professing CHRIST-followers who engaged in disgusting behaviour, that in reading it, made me frankly concerned.  there was very little conversation from many that could in any way be construed as love.  oh, sure, there are some that will say, "well, it's not loving to ignore sin!"  this is true, but it's in the way it was put out.  people resorted to name calling, childish insults, and even things that can be construed as hate.  what they failed to realize, is that we are all sinners, equal in our position before almighty God.  there are many on there that i know for a fact engaged in premarital sex that used words like "abomination," "disgusting," "gross," etc.  there were those that have engaged in adultery that were hurling stones as if they had no sin.  but Scripture plainly teaches that sexual sin is sexual sin, and all are equal before God in their consequences.  guess what?  homosexuality is no bigger sin than lying.  it's not even a bigger sin than the insults they hurled at others, negating the call to love one another and to treat others like you want to be treated.  sure, the consequences may be different, since sexual sin is the sin that affects the body in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense, but sin is sin.  doesn't matter what it is. 

so what now?  as a hospital chaplain, i would always be called to a room whenever a patient was about to be given a bad prognosis by the doctor, and then afterward i would stay behind to help the family through it.  i will give you the same advice i gave those who were believers.  okay, stop.  let's breathe in, and breathe out.  yes, this is a blow.  but the world hasn't ended yet, and we still have a long road ahead of us.  it's not going to be a pleasant road, and at times it will be downright scary.  right now, we are trying to make sense of it, and the shock is clouding our judgment, and emotions are distorting our view ahead.  this is the time that our faith meets the road.  we can say we trust God all we want, but it's in times like this that trust is put to the test.  do you really still believe that God is in control?  is He still on His throne?  or did this unseat Him in your life?  if so, you have bigger problems.  but God is still in control, and is still on His throne.  this didn't surprise Him, nor is it the worst thing that could have happened.  the last i checked, we weren't being rounded up for the coliseums yet to be fed to lions.  nobody is sharpening swords to cut our heads off (which is a real problem for some of our brethren.)  but now is the time to face the realities that potentially lay ahead of us, because nobody knows the future and all we can do at this point is speculate.  but we do know this, our country, and life, as we know it has changed.  we have enjoyed a very fruitful time of peace in our country in terms of our faith, which it seems is coming to an end.  we are not the first CHRIST-followers to go through it, nor will we be the last.  the prophecies of our Saviour are coming true.  we will be hated for His Name's sake.  we are aliens in a strange land, and our complacency has caused us to forget that.  so whether we are fined, jailed, or our churches closed, the church will endure.  another prophecy CHRIST made was that once He built His Church, the gates of hell would not prevail against her.  i am worried, yes, but i am also excited.  the times that the church grew the most was in the times of the most intense persecution.  so what do we do?

we get up in the morning, take a deep breath in, let it out, and continue to breathe in and out all day.  we go to our houses of worship, not to retreat, but to recharge, to regroup.  we resolve to not answer hate with hate, but to love those around us.  Jesus spent time with the sinners and publicans.  why?  because they were the ones that needed the Physician.  the people He had the power to condemn, He didn't.  He would lovingly stand firm on God's commands, and would call people out of their sin.  the people He got the most upset and vocal with were the religious people.  there was a reason people flocked to Him.  sure, part of it was the miracles, but it was because He loved them and was approachable.  in the aftermath of the charleston tragedy, we saw how CHRIST-followers should act.  we need to take heed.  i resolve to be that voice crying in the wilderness, not to run from the wilderness to comfort.  it is perfectly fine to engage in discussion over this topic, but do so in a CHRIST-like manner.  if you can't do it without resorting to vitriol and childish tantrums, stay silent and pray.  let them be the ones to curse you, and pray for them.  be kind to your enemies, for in doing so you will heap burning coals on their head.

there are those CHRIST-followers, who, in a sense of solidarity, have chosen to celebrate with them.  i do not recommend that, whether it be updating your profile picture to the rainbow, or congratulating those who will now get a governmental license.  we are called to come out from among them and be separate.  so while we should not condemn, we should not go so far as to condone.  you can disagree with someone on any topic and be respectful and kind.  kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and now would be the time to go back and refresh ourselves on what those are:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  after all, against these, there is no law!

make no mistake, we are engaged in a battle, but it is not a battle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.  the enemy wants us to despair, wants us to hate, wants us to destroy our witness.  our strategy needs to be to draw closer to our Champion, the One who has the power to defeat the enemy.  in doing that, we will become more like Him, and with His power, we have the victory.  the battle is lost.  the war is not over, and won't be until CHRIST returns like an atom bomb.  there is still a lot of fighting to do.  so suit up!  do not despair!  we know the final outcome!  let's show the world that we have Someone inside of us that is greater than what they have to offer!  that's how we will win the upcoming battles!