Valerie Rae Hanneman
September 3, 2004
John 15:20-21 “Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.” (NIV)
Just before school started Fawn, Steven and I took off for Pismo Beach for a day of boogie-boarding (not me) and relaxation (me). We set up our little camp, chairs, ice chest, food, towels, books, etc close to the shoreline. The kids took off into the surf and I settled into my chair with my book and Third Day singing praise in my headphones. It was a beautiful day. Often I would look up from my book and watch the flocks of pelicans that would fly past out at the end of the pier. They had such a cool, pre-historic pterodactyl look to them. I was watching one flock that was flying over the beach when they suddenly shifted in my direction. I was focused on their beauty and elegance when they suddenly pooped in unison. How do I know for sure it was in unison? Because I was below them looking up when they did it. I had a momentary lapse in the purity of my thoughts when I realized that I had been hit at least twice. I called Fawn in from the ocean so she could check my hair and she laughed when I told her what had happened. She thought it was real funny until I showed her where they had also gotten her towel twice - then she had her own momentary lapse. All together, they got me twice on my clothes, got Fawn’s towel and our ice chest. (Luckily the birds missed our food completely! I guess that some of those little stealth bombers aren’t so good at targeting) It was not the high point of my day to get pooped on by a flock of pelicans - but I have had worse happen to me. We had extra towels so I took Fawn’s towel up with me to the bathroom and used it to clean my clothes, I then proceeded to thoroughly enjoy the rest of my day.
I find it almost unbelievable how fast the world’s attitude towards Christians has changed - particularly Evangelical Christians. Back in my school days a student who brought their Bible to school was admired for their faith. Now they are prosecuted. There was a time when people wondered about the families that didn’t go to church - now they wonder about the families that do. Christmas nativity scenes used to abound - now they are torn down. Symbols of our Christian heritage are now illegal as city’s are forced to change their seals removing any possible link to Christianity while the false gods & goddesses are allowed to remain.
Tolerance used to mean that I believe what I believe is true, you believe what you believe is true, and although I might not think that what you believe is true - I support your right to believe it. But that isn’t what it means anymore. Now it means that I believe what I believe is true, you believe what you believe is true and I have to believe that what you believe is true because it is true for you and I have to accept what you do as right because you believe it is right. And if I don’t believe that what you believe is right and what you do is right than I am intolerant.
If you believe that all beliefs - Christianity, Buddhism, new age, Islam, Hinduism - are all the same in the eyes of God that it only matters that you believe as much as you can - then you are tolerant. If you believe that Jesus wasn’t lying when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life and no man comes to the Father but by Me.” then you are intolerant. If you believe in the sexual free-for-all that society embraces today of living together without benefit of marriage, one night stands, homosexuality, adultery, bisexuality, sex on the movie screen, TV screen and sex in the public bathroom than you are modern and forward looking. If you believe that the sexual free-for-all is immoral and an abomination to a Holy God, then you are hopelessly old-fashioned. If you believe that marriage as a union of one man and one woman, or two women, or two men, or one man and two women or your dog and your motorcycle, or any other combination that catches your fancy then you are open minded, but if you believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as ordained by God than you are close-minded.
Intolerant, hopelessly old-fashioned, close minded. They are not fun names to be called - are they? But they are the names we are called in all the medias, the schools, the courts, the government. And the saddest part is that they are not true. But to be a Christ-follower means that we choose to live a life of higher standards and the rest of the world simply cannot tolerate that. Because they cannot tolerate us they call us names that belittle us and try to drag us down. And sometimes the fight to maintain the higher standards seems to hard - too much of an uphill battle in a world that wants to drag us down.
I could have focused on the pelican poop that was on me instead of the great day that was before me. I could have sulked, shook my fists at the pelicans, decided that the day wasn’t worth it if I had to have pelican poop on me. I could have packed my kids up and gone back home over something as trivial in my life as pelican poop. But I knew that the pelican poop wasn’t permanent and the day that I was about to spend with my children would be permanent in our memories. So I cleaned it off me and went about building something that was permanent in my life.
The world’s names hurt but they are no more permanent than the pelican poop that was on me. Focus instead on the permanent names that God calls us. The world calls me intolerant - Father calls me His child. The world says hopelessly old-fashioned, Father says, “You are pure before Me.” The world calls us close minded, Father calls us redeemed. When the world’s names get splatted on you - remember that they are not permanent. Go to the bathroom, wash them off and go about building what is permanent and eternal in your life - your relationship with God.
Father, the names the world calls me - I don’t care about them. They wash off me and they are gone. I love the names You call me. I revel in them. My heart’s desire it to be worthy of the names You have given me. Help me to be worthy.
Contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at September 3, 2004 07:30 PM