As I sit here thinking over my last 6 months, I feel I lost a part of who I am. For years I have been one of these people who posted strong Godly messages all the time and yes at times I offended people but I stand up for what I believe in. You are always gonna offend someone no matter what you do in life. I decided not long ago I would back away from posting things that could be taken wrong.
I have to be honest with you, I feel like I lost who I am because of that. I have watched so many people post things and I love it but I refuse to say anything. I just sit in the middle of the road waiting to get hit but hey I wasn’t really offending anyone was I?
Luke 12:51 – Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?
I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
Even Jesus said he came to divide. I am not writing to say that we should go out of our way to offend people. Please don’t hear me like that. I am saying if God is guiding you to say or do some things then listen to him not the world because he is the one that truly matters.
Think about this, if you don’t go to college, people get offended, if you go to college others get offended. If you love Jesus people get offended if you hate him people get offended. If you like whatever you will offend people. Some people actually do not want you to make anything out of your life.
If you are gonna live the life that God called you to live, you will offend some people, I guarantee you that. You will probably even offend people who are Christians too. Go figure on that one. Just writing this article will even offend some people because I should just keep my mouth shut.
I can remember years ago someone told an EX of mine that I didn’t even deserve to live life because of my past. This was a Christian who said this. Is that not crazy? I couldn’t change my past but I was not that same person but this person did not care. All they could see was me through the eyes of the past not through the eyes of right now and especially not through the eyes of who i could be.
Don’t go through life not speaking up when you know you need to. Don’t go saying I will shut up because the world says so even though God is saying speak up. I am telling you after this last 6 months, its no way to live. I have been quiet on so many levels and it hurts holding many of that in! It makes you feel empty not saying what you know God wants you to say or do.
Yes you should ALWAYS pick the battles that you speak up on. You truly do have to ask if this even matters because I am not telling you to throw yourself to the wolves so to speak. I am saying use some discernment to know when speaking us is the right thing and when sitting down is the right thing.
I have started my writing again and it feels so good to be doing one of the things I am supposed to do. Many people know that my wife and I started songwriting 6 months ago and I also realize that is writing that also touches my heart too so we will keep doing both. I do not feel my life should be either or but BOTH!
I believe my wife and I make an awesome team together on all of our writings so it feels good to be back to doing the writing on here too. Just remember that God created you to stand up not conform!
We were never called to fit in within earth but to standout. We weren’t called to bow to others but to bow to God almighty! We weren’t called to live how we want but to live within the bounds of what God says. Ask yourself what if God’s plan for your life is NOT the path you are currently on? If you can humbly answer that and move forward, you will see God move into your life like never before.
Hospice workers asked people who were literally on their death bed what they wished they had done differently just as they were about to die. These are the top 5 regrets that they had…
1) “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard”
2) “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends”
3) “I wish had let myself be happier”
4) “I wish I’d have had the courage to express my true self”
5) “I wish I’d lived a life true to my dreams, instead of what others expected of me”
Look at number 3, 4 & 5? They all deal with being who you are. Do you really want to be on your deathbed thinking these thoughts?
One last thing to end this. People are usually on one side of this. People are either really bold with little love or show all love with little boldness. I believe its got to be both. You still have to speak truth but you need to do with with compassion too. Truth without love is just plain mean, love without truth is sugarcoating God’s message but truth spoken with love brings God into the picture.
Be Inspired or Be Left behind!
Chris Benton