Standing Firm In a Flimsy World

Do any of you have members in your family that causes you to cringe when they get together or even talk on the phone? Let's just say we have a few who are on extreme opposite ends of the political and religious realms, making conversation tense at times. Why are these conversations utterly exhausting for me to listen to? When any debating starts between them, I do my best to stay out of it (when it is not my side of the family), as the opposing point of view make no sense to me. It seems that every sentence spoken is taken as if it was a personal attack, when it is just a simple statement. Funny how people can speak, yet neither is listening. There are two things that most people will say to stay clear of in conversations-- God and politics; as it causes people of different beliefs to go on the defense. Oddly enough, I do talk about these two topics often with no hesitation, and do my best to present them with Bible-based facts. You can imagine why any atheists readers wouldn't like me very much ;)

Recently my husband was actually "unfriended" on Facebook, by a family member nonetheless, because he posted this line on his Facebook page, "Our country is reaping what we sow." Meaning, we are rapidly removing God from our culture and allowing sinful ways to become the new standard. True. With that comes increased crime, as we are seeing. There is simply no arguing that fact. But to individuals who do not have God in their life, that statement was somehow seen as hateful and insensitive, because he posted it shortly after the Sandy Hook incident. Let me be very clear here-- my husband doesn't have a hateful bone in his body and he mourned with the rest of the country during this tragic event. So, it amazes me how a simple statement of truth can get construed into something erratic. They refuse to acknowledge that the moral decline in our nation is causing serious consequences. Why? Because they are part of the problem! They strive to remove God from anything and everything, then get upset when Satan gets hold of lost people and uses them in awful ways. I would assume it is because it's easier to twist the facts to conform to their beliefs, than it is to accept the possibility of  new truth. I see it happening a lot in our nation--the moment you say something that doesn't jive with their view points, they throw their fingers in their ears and go, "Lalalala.", verses hearing you out. And yet it is Christians that are labeled close-minded and judgmental? Hmm.

The idea that people can allow their point of views to stand between a genuine relationship is mind boggling to me. To be honest, I find it downright pathetic. I feel as Christians, we need to be willing to listen to different points of view, even as far-fetched as some are. But, we should refuse to accept ideas that are not supported through God's word. We need to be able to respectfully showcase why we do or do not support such views, which means you need to educate yourself in the Bible. If you are using facts from the media, internet, friends, or from a cool Facebook post you read, then chances are they are pointless, empty facts, with no substance. This is where bickering can come into play; when individuals refuse, or simply can't, give supportive facts to back their beliefs and views. It is hard to imagine how any individuals can be raised under the same morals, guidelines, and beliefs, yet one steps away from it all as an adult and trades it all for the empty promises from society. And to try to reach out to such people is like banging your head repeatedly on a shut door. So, that leaves me with the question, "How do I prevent our society from getting their liberal-minded hands on my children, once they are no longer under my roof?" The answer is quite simple-- I need to be sure to raise them to follow Christ, not just religion and rules. That way, when they begin to wander or have outside influences pulling at them, they will have that core support that runs deeper that just religious rituals. It all comes back to being wise enough to distinguish God's plan verses the world's agenda. They need to be able to see that although the intentions may be good, the results always fail without God in the mix.