Following the electoral count over the next few days a new President will be sworn into office. At home, while both my family and our household staff patrol the tube for election updates I decided to retreat into reflection...not about the elections nor about politics, but about righteousness, which sadly has been plastered and marked as a highly-overrated commodity these days...naturally, because these are the end times. Armageddon in case you didn't know, is not a fairy tale, it is imminent.
I read something today that upheld my sentiments about the commitment I made to the Lord when I was nine years old. I committed to live a life pleasing to Him and one thing He promised me that night was that I never needed to be afraid of the dark again. It was a simple enough request because I didn't know how to sleep alone in my room. He didn't promise that darkness would not come, it most certainly would, He just promised that He would be with me. Wherever He is more than enough light shines for you to know where you're at. Read on to the end.
My newfound, adult insight of my personal encounter with Christ made me realize that God expects us to be Who we are called to be...and that's deeper than just about being a goody-two-shoes, not getting drunk, not cussing, and not sleeping with someone you're not married to. While a lot of people tout the life lived on a narrow path as lame, anti Joie de vivre, and boring, committing to Biblical righteousness on this planet is actually the highest, most difficult, and adventurous form of rebellion on this planet. Don't you dare say being good and Biblically righteous is easy, I struggle with love and compassion. It's tough and it's nearly everything that "A-list" culture sneers at, and if you don't have God-centered community the cost of righteousness could tear into you. Mel Gibson, according to Jim Caviezel, gave Jim multiple chances to back out of the Passion film project lest he never get another job in Hollywood again. Jim being committed to a film about Christ pursued the price which involved a dislocated shoulder and ultimately being struck by lighting on the cross while filming. Which begs the question, whatever happened to unashamed preachers like Billy Graham who didn't play up to the crowd, who challenged his audiences in a way that today would be smeared as "judging them" or lecturing them. Billy Graham certainly raised his voice and condemned sin...but not the people in whom sin was present. He was not quiet, he was not ashamed, he was most certainly in your face with passionate palms, and completely intolerant in his messages of whatever was unacceptable according to the Bible.
It so annoys me when Christians are often painted as the resigned, the sterile, restrained, and the never rebellious. No accountability is actually the big easy. It (righteousness) most certainly takes rebellion and a refusal to conform. It is difficult to commit to righteousness, it's actually way easier to just coast and live life like YOLO. The truth about righteousness and holiness is they're actually subversive and counter-culture, when you think about it we're actually called to join the greatest rebellion on earth. Amy Simpson shared:
"This is one of my favorite C. S. Lewis quotations, from Mere Christianity: 'Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.' Maybe it's my non-conformist streak (OK, it's more than a streak). Maybe it's my generational disillusionment with this planet and its inhabitants. Maybe it's that longing we all have to be part of something great, to make big mark on the world. Whatever the reason, I just love the idea that God is calling us to subversive activity in his name, to help turn the world upside down, just as Jesus did when he walked this earth. It's poetic, grandiose, and dangerous, and it captures my imagination."
