Today I Choose to be a Pippin: In Honor of Thanksgiving

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." ~ Colossians 3:17

Dear Reader,

So it's Thanksgiving again. That one day where we pull out our best tablecloths, brace ourselves for a frantic day of cooking, and manage forced smiles as guests pull in at the driveway. That one day where we frantically rack our brains for something to share, other than the usual "friends, family, and food" speech. 

And today, as I sit down with a bowl of nachos beside me, I feel so ashamed. Ashamed of myself and my own ungratefulness and how I take all of this wonderful life for granted.

Oh God, I am so hypocritical. 

Recently, He's been teaching me a lesson. I've grown to realize, through family and friends, how easily I'm swayed and discouraged by simple things, whether other people or my own emotions. But God doesn't want that. He hates the ingratitude in me, and He's trying to change me into someone who's constantly thankful, constantly searching for the good in everything, constantly encouraging and positive.

One thing that few people know about me is that I used to struggle with pretty intense depression. I still do occasionally. And one thing I've realized is how self-focused my depression is. I mean, this is me, okay? I've never experienced a serious accident, been deathly ill, suffered emotional trauma. I'm just an everyday teenage girl in the suburbs of Seattle, and my struggles are so minimal. The occasional physics homework. My own un-coordination in karate. The disappointment after too high of an expectation of a guy. Look, I've never even had an official breakup. My troubles are nothing. Yet, I somehow make them into everything. 

And my depression and those occasional bad days taught me some valuable lessons. 

It's when I take my focus off of God and His goodness that I fall. 

It's when I choose to pinpoint and inspect the little dirt specks in my life, instead of the enormous riches I have in Christ, that I fall.

It's when I focus on self and not God that I fall.

Suddenly what he said or what she did seems so important and enormous and powerful. Suddenly what I want seems to be so encompassing that I cannot think of anything else. Suddenly every other good and perfect gift seems so unimportant and minuscule compared to my great burden. 

Forgive me, Lord, for focusing on myself, when everything good and worth-knowing is in You. Forgive me for being so self-centered. Will You help me look to You this Thanksgiving? Will You help me give thanks in You? For You are the crux of everything worth giving thanks for.

Without the cross, our health, our family, our friends can all be snatched away, along with all the joy and thanksgiving in our lives. Without the cross, our thanks-giving becomes a ranting about our temporary happiness. Without the cross, Thanksgiving just becomes a day where we can feel good about our own lives.

Yet, all these things can't satisfy us. Friends nor family nor food nor material goods. Nor money nor fame nor expensive vacations. People will hurt us, either intentionally or unintentionally. Things break and tear, and food gets eaten all too quickly. Nothing lasts for forever, and everything has consequences.

Although these blessings are blessings in the right place in the right time, I understand that they will fail us. Yet, we need to give thanks even when we don't have anything to be thankful for. It's a command. We are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances, even if we have literally nothing. 

And so I've learned whenever depression hits to just stop. Stop thinking about myself and my own problems and start thinking about the Savior and His goodness. Because sometimes bad things do happen and people say mean things and material things get old. We all have those days. But when that happens, we need to be able to look to the cross above the storm.

For only Jesus can truly satisfy.

Only Jesus can enable us to give thanks in all circumstances.

Because seriously, Jesus has bought eternity for me. He has saved me. I was a prisoner to sin. I struggled to do good without any hope of being good. I was blind to myself and my own chains, and He set me free! He really has. Instead of trying to be good, He has been my good enough. And I am so extremely, incredibly blessed to be His child. To be able to be called His daughter and to be loved by the Creator of the universe. To now have the hope of living eternally with Him and enjoying His peace and strength here on earth. That now, when troubles strike, I can lean on the Almighty God above. That I don't need to worry about life and my future because He has the perfect plan in mind for me.

And so I can give thanks and look for the good in everything. I can smile and say with true conviction that I am blessed and all is well and God is good. 

Because when Christ is the center of our universe, nothing can shake us. Everything has a purpose. What he said, what she did, what grade we got - everything matters. God meant for that to happen, and it's all part of His encompassing, sovereign plan.

Because when Christ is our all in all, nothing else matters. Neither the newest iPhone nor that boy in school. Nothing can supply the unconditional love He provides, and nothing can replace or diminish His goodness and grace and mercy and love. Nothing. No one.

Because when all perfect gifts come from the One who embodies all perfection, we can see His signature in everything, in every day. 

I dare you this Thanksgiving to look for God's autograph in the world. To look beyond our own struggles and to see His face through the storm. To become so engrossed in our Savior that nothing, nothing at all will be able to shake our satisfaction in Him. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tolerance, Love, and Truth: Standing Firm for the Right in Right Now

I believe in truth. 
A nonnegotiable, uncompromisable standard of truth that is not open to interpretation. Truth is black and white, and truth is intolerant of personal opinions. 

I will die for truth simply because it's true. 
If my life and death can show others the validity of my beliefs because I value truth enough to sacrifice myself, rather than compromise and so violate my conscience, then so be it. 

I will live out my faith and convictions in that truth because I love people enough to show them the truth.
What I do will reflect that truth, and I will not compromise or give in or back down. My life will stand as an example of a life lived out by the truth for the truth. 

If I don't live for the Giver and Creator and Standard of truth, then who do I live for?

Now that may come across as harsh, intolerant, and bigoted. So please hear me out, as I attempt to present my reasoning somewhat logically. Recently the term "tolerance" has been ranted about in headline news. I've seen these following arguments debated, whether in person, through email, or in Facebook conversations. So since this issue continues to gain popularity, our own views of truth need to be ever strengthened both theoretically and practically.

The type of truth I am about to discuss is the truth strictly portrayed in God's Word. The Bible clearly points out and defines certain sins as sins, such as homosexuality, greed, pride, and adultery. God hates sin, and He commands us as a perfect and holy God to do the same. Throughout the Old Testament, He sets a high penalty for sin: the shedding of blood. When the Israelites committed a crime, whether small or large, they slaughtered an animal in place of themselves and their own blood. Many people have died because they chose to violate God's holy Word, and people today continue in their sin in complete rejection of Christ and His covenant. 

Now, these are nonnegotiable. 

God's truth is nonnegotiable. 

We as believers cannot pick and choose what areas of the Bible to regard as truth. We must either accept the complete Word of God as the very truth and standard for our lives or throw it all away. As children of God, we have an obligation to take on His mindset and conform to the image of His Son, which means adopting His standards of right and wrong. We cannot compromise these sin issues. Christians have a duty to see sin as sin and label it as such. We cannot give in or differ from Scripture. We cannot indulge in or support areas of sin. We are separate, not of the world, but of the Light. 

Let's move on and define what I mean by love exactly. Christians today errantly use the word "love" in two ways.

1) The hard-core, pound-truth-into-you love. 
2) The all-accepting, tolerant love.

Both of these are unbiblical and here's why. First, it's not our place to condemn sinful people. It's our place to show them the truth, but in love! In gentleness and kindness! Shoving the truth down their throats will not help them change or see the sinfulness of their ways. Instead, it may just turn them against Christianity and the shameful hypocrisy of the church. We also were once sinners, stuck in our circular and corrupted mindsets without hope of change, until Christ presented us with a way out of our slavery. It is not our place to condemn them, but to gently show them the truth in humility and gentleness, remembering that we ourselves were no better off, but it's only by Christ's goodness that we now live as children of the one true God.

Secondly, true love does not compromise truth. Tolerance says, "I am fine with what you believe, and even though I think it's wrong, what's right for you is right for you." Tolerant people avoid conflict. They don't want to come across as judgmental, so they suppress their convictions and in doing so smother their conscience and their standard of truth. If something is true, it needs to be lived out in love. Biblical love says, "I love you as a person, and I care about your happiness and wellbeing. However, what you are doing is unacceptable, and I care enough about you to tell you that it's wrong and you desperately need to change. The path you're taking will lead to utter destruction, and I cannot bear to think of you ending up there."

Many Christians today compromise. They don't want to offend their neighbors or friends. They want to demonstrate Christian love, show kindness, and not exhibit hypocrisy or turn others away from Christ by their strict adherence to the rules. They want to support their friends as people with the freedom to choose what to believe. 

And that's all correct and good, but there has to be a boundary. There has to be a point where you step back and say, "I'm not giving in anymore. That's definitely wrong". 

Let's bring up a practical example. Homosexuality is big in today's culture. What if a friend became publicly gay and sent me a wedding invitation? Would I attend? On one hand, I know that numerous passages in the Old and New Testament clearly state that this practice is disgusting and wicked in God's eyes. However, she still is my friend, and I want her to eventually believe in Christ. By attending, perhaps I'll show that I don't judge her, though she engages in practices contrary to biblical standards.

First of all, Christians should not only not indulge in sin, but should not encourage it. By attending the wedding, I am demonstrating moral support. I am going against my moral values and beliefs. I am sending a message that I approve of this lifestyle and my friend's choice. That despite everything my religion holds, I choose to stand by and celebrate her decision. Now that is in strict contradiction to the Christian faith and does not help support its validity.

For example, let's pretend that we have a friend who's a devout Buddhist and vegetarian. He spends much of his time serving at the temple and praying. You've only seen him eating vegetables, and he always is very vocal about his vegetarian beliefs. So far, you have a pretty good view of Buddhism, due to the moral behavior of this particular friend. But one day, you are both invited to a wedding banquet, and there, you see him eating steak. What would your first reaction be? Wouldn't your noble impression of Buddhism and him as a person crumble? 

Paul accused Peter of hypocrisy in the church. When Jews were not present, Peter would eat with the Gentiles, or non-Jewish people of his day. But when the Jews appeared, he would hurriedly switch and avoid eating with Gentiles because he didn't want to be judged by his Jewish companions. He didn't want to offend or make enemies of the Jews, so he tried to look like he shared their beliefs, although in reality, he didn't.

Isn't that the same today? If I believe homosexuality is wrong, but only support that belief in my own private bedroom, isn't that hypocritical? If I'm too scared or ashamed or timid to stand up for my faith and live it out, there's a big problem. And this doesn't just apply to gay weddings. For example, I probably would not attend a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian because it is unbiblical. Or say if my friends are attending a party or watching a movie or discussing things that are blatantly sinful and dangerous to my values. I would choose to adhere to my personal beliefs and stand up for the truth, whether that will mean missing out on the movie or alienating myself from that particular group.

And this stuff is hard. It really is. I'm guilty too of compromising my beliefs to appear favorable to other people. And it takes guts to stand up for the truth, and it's difficult and dangerous. But more and more, I'm realizing how less salty and less bright our Christians have become in the world today. No wonder people condemn us of hypocrisy, because we don't stand up for our core values. Our faith needs to become reality. 

Faith exists to be lived out and practically applied. If faith is not lived out, it is worthless. What is faith for if it is not to be stood up for and defended?

Let's bring up another example, something less controversial. How about Christian friends who turn away from the church? As their friends, we have an obligation to point them back to the truth. However, this doesn't mean we shun them forever or send long emails condemning their wicked ways. We do need to be loving in our approach to reach out to them, but firm. What they have chosen to do is unacceptable and not right, and we need to point out their paths. Perhaps a long talk over coffee will do or an occasional friendly email to check up with them and their beliefs. There are many ways that demonstrate a genuine Christian love without supporting their individual decisions to sin.

Others will argue that standing by truth no matter what will turn others away from Christianity. We are supposed to support people who disagree with us because they have the right to believe whatever they so choose. If we judge them and condemn them with a critical and unyielding spirit, they may become disheartened and completely reject all of Christianity. 

And yes, that's true. I do agree we need to love our brothers and sisters, whether they are murderers, liars, or simply non-Christian. Discrimination and persecution due to religious beliefs or practices are unacceptable. However, we cannot approve of their sinful lifestyle. We can love people without approving of their choices. 

In fact, love is caring enough to show the other person the truth. 

When we stand firm for our beliefs, nonbelievers will more clearly distinguish the truth of our beliefs. If something is true, people will stand by their convictions all the more strongly. And when we demonstrate that our faith is something worth defending, we will shine brighter for our King.

If I had a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth before giving a speech, I would sure hope that my friends would tell me about the problem before I endure eternal humiliation for the remainder of my pitiful existence on earth. Or if I was going to ruin my life through a dangerous relationship, I would certainly appreciate people around me who stopped me from going over the cliff. And how much worse is sin and its devastating consequences of an eternal hell? Don't we care enough for the people around us to live out that truth? To stick by the truth so they can see its reality through us? We owe them that much. At least that much.

Truth is nonnegotiable. And by standing for that truth, we will truly live out our faith and our love to those who need it.


{I would love, love to know your thoughts on this. Send me a message via facebook or email me here: starflower112@gmail.com}