Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. (Jude 3, NIV)
Like the 80’s song, “Love is a Battlefield”, also the whole scope of life is involved in said battlefield. The world always presents that the winners are the cheaters, the trampers, the wisecrackers, etc, regarding meekness as weak. In fact, God so wants broken, meek hearts, that Heaven is made of those unwilling to rush to the hot-buttoned world. This also has meaning, because pressure –especially self-made- is unknowingly destructive.
When I came here, I had biased thoughts about the people. Will I have to be tough, gangsta, a mo… you know? Will I have to hide Christ –which is the most basic form of rejection- to get friends, or go “secret-Christian-mode? What about my somewhat cheesy lingo? When I came here, starting to experience a normal, American lifestyle, I never knew that it would be (sorry for the redundancy) normal. I also prayed to God while getting ready for school. (I had a rough night, to say the least.) And this, I uttered while opening the window blinds in the 46-degree cold of the Mideast:
THE ONLY WAY TO STAND UP TO OTHERS IS TO NOT STAND UP TO YOU (God).
This is something I quickly pondered, and I had it hidden in my thoughts, until now. The only way we can stand up to the world, letting them show our walk and power, is to not (and I mean, NOT) stand in self-centered arrogance to the Lord of the Heavens (though, He loves to work with wild hearts, I do not know why). You know that the value of self-respect is an important life skill (which I need, by the grace of God, work on it), but also more important is the value of humility to God. It is still impossible to be haughty to God and submissive to others at the same time, but it is also impossible to be submissive to God and haughty to others, too. There should be a balance, and only God, with our Helper, the Holy Spirit, will transform in the long haul, up until eternity.
After this, I’m back to more homework!