White vs. Black
Black Lives Matter vs. Back the Blue
Mask vs. No Mask
Open the Country vs. Shutdowns
Republican vs. Democrat
Conservative vs. Liberal
Trump vs. Biden
Person vs. Person
Social media, emails, tv, radio, signs, billboards...
The division is EVERYWHERE. And I don't know about you, but for me it's exhausting.
Last year we adopted the absolute most precious baby boy! Caleb has brought so much joy to our lives, and we are forever grateful for that crazy little boy! All I want for him is to grow up to love Jesus and others. I want him to work hard and be kind. I want him to stand up for what is biblically right while loving on every person he meets. I want him to be strong and courageous. I want him to seek God's will above anything else and use His Word to discern what is right in this world. I want him to one day be known as a faithful man of God who leads by example and looks for opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I want him to always recognize that as a Christian, his enemy will never be flesh and blood. It's not the candidate we don't like. It's not the politics that drive us crazy. It's not the worldwide pandemic that has completely changed our lives. It's not the people on social media who seem to be looking for an argument. It's not the movements and "activists" who try to stir up hate.
No. Those are not our enemies.
Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
YALL. In other words, our enemy is Satan. He causes dissension. He is the king of hate. He is evil. And if you are a born again Christ follower, he is your enemy.
When you find yourself getting anxious or angry about the wickedness and division in our world, be sure to direct the feelings in the right place. It's not people. Sure, they may do or say things that frustrate, anger, or hurt us, but those are people we are called to love. Even when it feels so hard. Believe me, I'm just as guilty as anyone. The past few months have hurt me so much. It has been so very hard to see the negative comments about race AND the negative comments about law enforcement. It's all so overwhelming as a police wife with a black child. But I've had to really stop myself lately and remember that it's my job to simply love. My enemy has already been defeated when Jesus defeated the grave. I know how the story ends. My place in Heaven is secure. Now I have to focus on sharing the Good News with all those around me, even when it feels hard.
