Snowflakes Vs. Stone Walls

Me: “Oh, I’m fine, it’ll be fine. Trusting God here. He’s got this.”

Also Me: “Oh my word. We’re all gonna die.”

Me: “Nope, staying in the Word. Pray up. Deeeeeeep breathe.”

Also me: “Good gracious, they’re gonna shut the whole country down and mandate vaccines.”

Me: “God is so much bigger than this. Get out of your own head!”

Also me: “What if everyone goes nuts and the stores sell out of everything… Ice cream will be a necessity in the coming days… how much toilet paper do we have???”

Me: “Stop it!”

Hello there.

Welcome to my roller coaster of thoughts and emotions over these past weeks.

Is anyone else still wondering what the future will look like? Will Joe Biden actually be our next president? (Ok, Harris. It would totally be Harris… Lord, help us all.) Or does Trump actually still have a fighting chance? Will these lawsuits mean anything? How can there be change or awareness if the liberal media refuses to report it? How is that every time I think there’s hope, things seem to take a nastier turn? Will God show mercy or will he allow the harmful insanity so many have been begging for? (which He wouldn’t be wrong to do. Seriously, some of us have been asking for a whooping for quite sometime now.)

Are you stressing? Are you trying desperately not to?

Do you want to cry? Scream? Go shake the crazy outa people?

Obviously, if you’re reading this and you’re a Biden supporter, you’ve been feeling the opposite of everything I just said, and have been on the opposite side of anything I’ve written lately. But kudos to you for bearing with me. You are always welcome. (Though you may not like where this is going… just a heads up. Still, I encourage you to muster through.)

Anywho, I’m just curious if anyone else is still as scatterbrained and baffled as I am. Is anyone else bouncing back and forth between hope and despair, between confidence and then lacking it all together. Stressing, then praying to the only one actually in control here. Worrying, then burying yourself in the Word of God, knowing it’s the only way to successfully combat your greatest fears.

Looking Back

Sometimes I think about four years ago, when Trump was first elected. Right or wrong, the left felt cheated. Right or wrong, they didn’t want to claim Trump as their president. Right or wrong, they thought their future was about to crumble to pieces. Right or wrong, they felt strongly about their situation. And so do we.

But then I realize that this is where the similarities absolutely must come to a sudden and halting END. Because, yes, they felt cheated (whether or not we think they were) and yes, we feel cheated. But although there is truly mountains of evidence to support our claim, the truth remains that there are Godly ways to approach real or perceived injustice and adversity and ungodly ways. Now is the time to discern what that looks like.

Four years ago, when Hilary Clinton supporters felt slighted, what did they do? Did they follow legal procedures or peacefully protest? Nope. They took to the streets, not in peaceful protest, but in fits of raging violence. They burned buildings. They broke windows. They screamed. They rioted. They posted videos to social media of their sobbing, angry and hysterical rants at two in the morning. They had pizza and coloring “safe space” days at our universities for students who couldn’t cope. Grown adults couldn’t go to work because they were so devastated that they hadn’t gotten their own way. Self-control flew out the window as they raged like self-serving toddlers. And it didn’t just last a few weeks. It hasn’t stopped. For four years they’ve raged, they’ve looted, they’ve rioted, over Trump, over climate change, over COVID, over racism. For four years they have done everything possible to demonize the man in office as well as anyone who supports him. They’ve never stopped finding reasons to wreak havoc, they’ve never stopped finding reasons to destroy what they have no right to destroy. And to what end? They accomplished nothing but to make everyone around them miserable as they sank deeper into their own self-pity.

Those who relied on Hilary Clinton to be their savior, reacted in hopeless despair when that didn’t play out. And as much as I wouldn’t trust her with a dog I didn’t like, I can’t blame them for feeling hopeless! I really, really can’t. How very sad to think of all of your hopes resting on one person, one agenda, one political stance. Their hearts rested on a fallen human with no Sovereign God to run to when that fallen human fell. They had no time-tested Word of Truth to cling to. No hope of a better day beyond this to reach for. No King reigning victorious over all the kings of the earth. No guide for how to handle the disappointments and fearful circumstances of this life. What else to do but act in complete abandon and total despair when you have nothing of substance to which to cling? In their hopeless position, would we be any different?

…remember that you were… [once] separated from Christ… strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12)

Still, because of these tremendous melt downs, the offenders earned themselves this well known term:

Snowflake: a slang term for a person, implying …an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or [being] overly-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.

So many, not all, but many on the liberal left held no stamina in the face of adversity. They completely broke down. Now as Biden is proclaimed to be President Elect, for the first time in four incredibly long years, the liberals are smiling. They are laughing, cheering, and celebrating, rather than crying, screaming, and rioting. Just like a fit throwing toddler, their rage calmed, not because they care about peace or unity or what’s right, but because they got their way.

[Note: That whole call for peace and unity and healing and hugs from the left right now is seriously a problem. It’s hypocritical, narcissistic and down right maddening. But that’s a blog for another day.]

But here’s the thing, dear friends, if you claim Christ, no matter what turn this election takes, whether Biden “wins” or it’s overturned for Trump through lawsuit and litigation (that would be awesome and I’m STILL PRAYING it will SOMEHOW happen), our ultimate hope and thusly our reaction, cannot rest on what man we call our president. Our trust cannot lie on what agenda is currently in place, or whether or not we’re getting our way. Trump is a man like any other (Lord bless him), agendas come and go, and this life is simply not fair.

No, our hope cannot rest in the outcome of this election and our reactions to our circumstances must not act as though it does. Our hope and thusly our reaction must reflect the sovereign God we serve, our just King who reigns supreme, a better day we know is yet to come. Our stamina under our circumstances will reflect where our strength lies:

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. (Proverbs 24:10)

There’s A Choice To Be Made

So, basically, it comes down to a decision we will all have to make.

One option is to go the “snowflake” route.

If you think about it, a snowflake is more immediately pleasing to the eye of the world, but it melts quickly, blows this way and that with the wind; it is fragile and quickly dissolved by even the spark of a flame.

Obviously the snowflake route does not reflect Christ well, so let’s try another route. I like to call it the “stone wall” route.

A stone wall may be weathered and rough but it stands through time and adversity. Come wind, rain or fire, it remains unmoved and sure. It is a guard, a protection, even a guide.

Just as the well known Civil War General, Stonewall Jackson, received such a nickname by standing firm and with bravery before his enemy, let’s choose the same path as we stand before ours.

…that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

And we can. By God’s good grace WE CAN.

~ We can stand boldly for truth WITH self control.

…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

~ We can stand strong and unmoved in conviction, faith, and hope.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

~ We can despise the things God hates and call out sin without giving in to unrighteous anger or bitterness.

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger… (Ephesians 4:26)

~ We can suffer unjustly with humility and without seeking revenge, looking to Christ as our example:

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:19-23)

~ We can respect our authorities and show kindness and courtesy to others even when we don’t agree, even when we are terribly wronged.

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1-2)

~ Never, of course, neglecting Acts 5:29

“We must obey God rather than men.”

God’s word reigns absolutely supreme and we are called to steadfastly refuse anyone who asks us to go against his commands.

~ We can love and pray for those who hate us and be Christ to those who desperately need him! Do not hate in return.

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… (Matthew 5:44)

~ We can live in freedom, we can live fully, no matter what earthly possessions or rights are taken from us.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

~ We can live without fear of earthly rulers, they will come and go, Christ remains.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

~ We can face whatever comes on this earth, no matter how terrible, without anxiety or fear, for we know our final hope doesn’t rest here and a better day is surely coming.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

I know we many of us are incredibly frustrated right now. It is easy to be anxious, to be fearful, to be angry, to break down, to feel like the world has stopped. But staying there will not help us. Are we to be indifferent to what’s going on? NEVER.

We are called to live boldly.

We are called to stand for the oppressed.

We are called to speak truth.

We are called to lives of active faith.

But we must be sure to test every thought, every action, every word against the Word of God. We must be sure we are being Christ to a broken world rather than breaking down right along with them. While our emotions may be a roller coaster, His Word is unchanging. While our fears may seem overwhelming, his comfort and promises to us are greater still.

If we react as we humanly desire, we become nothing more than scoffing hypocrites. If we react as God has called us to, we evoke real and lasting hope and change, in our lives and in the lives of those watching.

So what will it be?

Snowflake or stone wall?

Melt down at the slightest hint of adversity or remain steadfast through the fire, as a guard, a guide, and a boundary setter; weathering the storms of life with sure and firm resolve?

Choose well, dear friends, choose well.