Day 2456 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


Matthew 5:14 NIV

There are two paths through life. One that leads us along the well-worn trail that everyone else around us is on. That one is the easiest. It's the most common, the most safe, the most comfortable. It's the one that 99% or so of people are taking. The other is far more different, more unique, more difficult, more complex, and often more solitary. Easy to see why that one isn't as worn as the first.

I do a lot of watching. A lot of looking. A lot of paying attention to the world around me. Don't really know why. I guess I'm just always taking notes and trying to learn things. In all of my world-watching here lately I've noticed a very disturbing trend. I think it's actually been going on longer than I realize, and some may be too busy or too distracted to notice it at all. But it's definitely getting worse.

Kindness is dying.

It hasn't been a quick death, but it sure seems to be speeding up. I don't know if it's a matter of how busy everyone is anymore. Maybe it's because of all this political nonsense that had everyone choosing sides and judging those on the opposite team. Or perhaps it's just one of those things that is destined to happen as we grow closer to the return of our King. Whatever the reason it has really opened my eyes and reminded me of the indefinably important mission that we're called to undertake.

As Christians we have to be different. We have to be willing to stand out, go against the grain, and live in ways that seem foreign and alien to this world. We have to be willing to let go of the comfort of blending in because doing as everyone else does cannot possibly make the difference or send the message that our world desperately needs to hear right now. We have to be the light in the darkness. There is simply no other option.

We've been talking a bit about what people need to see and understand about our faith. They need to know that it changes things. They need to understand that it opens the door to a different kind of life that leads to something more than the despair and despondency that our world is rocketing toward. They need people who are willing to stand in the gap and show them that there's another way.

People need to hear that they have the chance to turn off of the path that's leading to destruction along a path filled with lies and empty promises that are fueled by negativity and wickedness. This place needs the hope that we have found in Jesus. They need the light that is found in the truth. They need the salvation that is found in the cross. They need us to step up and be the light in this place because if we don't then they'll just stay lost in the dark.

Friends, we have a duty to fulfill. We have a mission to undertake. We have been given a charge to complete a task that will literally change hearts and save lives. It doesn't get more important than that. No more hiding. No more blending. No more choosing ease and comfort over courage and responsibility. We are up against impossible odds. And we may not be able to change the world considering how bad things have gotten.

But we can lay down our lives and fight the good fight and do whatever we possibly can to reach as many as we possibly can knowing that it will change their world. This isn't a hobby where our only goal is to coast across the finish line and hope we did something good along the way. This is a rescue mission that needs warriors who will leave it all on the field knowing that it was worth the pain, the judgement, the ridicule, and the hatred that we endured along the way.

It's time to be the light in the dark!

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