I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s right. I’m not gonna… I…I…I…
“Everything is a test.” Yes, even this. My patience is being tested. My resolve is being tested. My kindness, temperance, my self-control. It is all being tested. At the same time my faith, my joy, and my peace are all being tested. Will I pass the test? Can I actually do it? Can I actually yield my own rights, my own opinions, my own position? Can I endure all this and still be loving, patient, and kind?
Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
1 Corinthians 13: 4-5 AMP
My fellow citizens of the Lakeland, FL area have likely recognized that I am writing in response to the mask mandate that was issued on July 2, 2020. I do not like being told what to do anymore than anyone else. As a matter of fact, I do not really even like the fact that God tells me certain things to do, but I have learned to love it because I have learned to trust Him and obey. Being told what to or what not to do touches the center of human will and pride. It seems to be the biggest hurdle man faces over and over. Don’t touch. Don’t eat. Don’t do…. It ignites the desire to do the exact opposite until I learn to trust the one issuing the commandment.
I do not trust the governments of this world anymore than I trust the devil himself. However, I do not necessarily distrust the people that sit in the seats of power. I pray for them fervently and expect that God is able to guide them to make decisions that are the best for the whole of the people. I do not agree with every decision but what I do about my disagreement becomes the real issue. Is my agreement or disagreement based upon my fleshly likes and dislikes or as a Christian have I searched the scriptures and my heart which they are to be written on?
The god of this world has blinded the minds of so many. The odd thing is that we each tend to think that we are not the blinded ones. “No, not me. I see clearly what’s going on.” Certainly, each person has a point-of-view, a perspective, and an opinion accordingly. But what are we supposed to do with such? How do we respond, react, cope, deal with, or work with things that squeeze our flesh, our freedoms, and our free-will?
I encourage and exhort you. Let the Spirit of God teach and show you what you should do and how you should respond. Additionally, allow that same Spirit to govern your emotions and attitudes. Let the fruit of that same Spirit be evident in you. My concern and emphasis is not so much about for what you fight but rather how you fight.
Additional reading suggestions: Galatians 5; Romans 12; Romans 13