Stand Out. Be the Difference.
“Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.”
Isaiah 58:1
People in our day love to protest, to stand up for their beliefs and make them known to the world. But what do they really stand up for? What are their beliefs?
Everywhere we look and the material that we read: on the internet, news, etc... it is full of people advocating for something. And they use so much energy, time, and passion to do this.
The most popular topics being advocated are racism, feminism, transgender equality, sexual orientation, sex, and many others. All these topics are discussed about in such a way as to shed light to the fact that everyone should have the right to be happy in their own skin and be able to “be themselves” in society.
What I want to talk about is:
Why don’t WE stand up for what we believe?
We have the truth, we have God’s word.
Why don’t we tell others?
In fact, I’m pretty sure we do the opposite.
When we find ourselves in situations or environments where people talk about these topics, we try to avoid being part of the conversation. We don’t want to get involved.
What do we make them understand by the fact that we keep quiet? That we are in agreement or at least that we have no strong opinion on the subject. Both of which are not true.
So, why are we afraid to speak up?
People stand up for all these vile, corrupt, and wrong beliefs. Why not tell them what God wants us to say
Is it because we don’t want them to start disliking us? Or make fun of us? Refer to us as Christians?
Why are we ashamed?
I don’t even understand why we ever look at things from this perspective. All those people out there, protesting for all these wrong things: they’re the ones who should feel embarrassed, ashamed.
We believe the truth, God’s truth. We have pure, holy beliefs. What reason would we ever have to be ashamed? Absolutely none.
The work or school environments can be difficult places to stand out. We don't want people to view us as different or weird. And yes, it is definitely hard to be a Christian in a non-Christian environment. It’s hard to listen to what others talk about, to see what they do, and still keep a good work relationship with them if we contradict them.
But there are all these people out there who commit themselves to representing their missions and beliefs.
Who will represent God?
Who will stand up against the corrupt practices of the world? Who will tell the world that they must behave as God’s children and that we are not our own, but His?
Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Everyone out there strives to be liked by others; therefore, they all try to be the same.
Be the one who stands out.
Be the one who makes the real difference.
- Bianca L.
