Thankful Thursday & a response

 

Happy Thursday, friends! Don't you just love a full week of nothing but link-ups? I'm serious! It's easy to know what to write on weeks like this. Even though today is a link up day, I'm going to share one thing I'm thankful for and then I want to respond to someone. 

I am thankful for the living, active word of God that we read of in Hebrews 4:12! I love repeating what I've heard my Pastor say time and again—what this verse means is that as we read the word of God, the word of God is reading us. That's why new things are always jumping out to us in quiet time each day; He has a way of highlighting something specific that we need to hear in that exact moment. Isn't that mind blowing? The reason that I share that one thing is because God's word is what directs me in my behavior. It reminds me of the things I need to hear regularly, like to not let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth (Ephesians 4:29), or to put on love (Colossians 3:12-17) as I go about my daily life. The Lord is always sweet to remind me of His word at opportune times, like in something that took place here on my blog recently. 

And here's what I want to encourage you with and talk about today. There's a reader here who shows up for every single blog post that I ever write, and though her life is different than what ours may look like, she encouraged me greatly recently in a comment. Even though she's a believer, we may not put that into practice in the same way. She recently commented on a post telling me this herself, and then she asked me a very difficult question. I actually was surprised at how quickly I was able to come up with my lengthy answer, but I know it was the Lord supplying me with the response that I needed. She didn't come "at" me in her comment; she just genuinely and respectfully asked her question, and then I answered in the same way. I didn't snap back quickly, but I wrote out my answer to her in a genuine, heartfelt way, after praying about how to reply. I hope and believe that she received (receives) it in the way I intended. 

Her comment was encouraging to me, because it reminded me that we can have different points of view in the political realm, and we can talk about it like the grown women that we are. It was encouraging to me that she genuinely wanted to know an answer to something she struggles with. It encouraged me and reminded me that it's okay that we're not all the same! I love my friends that I go to church with like nobody else, but it is good for us to be around and to engage with people who believe differently than us, whether in politics or in what we believe in faith. I have a young friend who told me years ago that he likes to go to the roughest and toughest looking people for haircuts, and he prefers that they wouldn't be a believer and follower of Jesus. I have never forgotten what he said to me, because it's in those moments with people that God allows us the opportunity to honor Him with our words, and to share our faith with them. 

This friend is a believer, though, and hopefully my answer to her question gave her some clarity. I was actually talking about this with another friend at church one day, before I was aware of her question. We have to be careful in giving blanket statements about people who vote differently than us. While part of me wants to agree with a lot of what I've read in memes recently, I was reminded in that face to face conversation on Tuesday that it isn't up to us to judge. And you know what? I thank God for that! I wouldn't want His job for anything in the world. It's comforting to me knowing that I can just live my life as best I know how, hopefully being pleasing to Him in my words, actions, and thoughts, and that He takes care of all the rest. We don't have to try and live perfect lives; it is impossible to do that! All we can do is the best we know how, and when we mess up, we should be quick to repent to God and to others. God is faithful and just to forgive us of every sin, and we are all sinners who fall short of His glory. 

I wanted to share this today not to shame her in anyway at all, but to make sure that she reads my response. I don't know how the commenting on my blog works for readers; I know when I comment on some blogs, I can check the box to see the other comments that come after mine, but I don't think mine offers that. I wanted her to see my reply back to her question, and I want to encourage you when someone questions what you about something controversial. I feel my response was loving, kind, and genuine, and I wanted her to understand my moral standing that falls in line with the way I vote in every election. 

You'll never see me address things like that here on my blog, because I like for things to be kept politically neutral. In fact, this is the very reason why part of me hates Facebook! So many people are trying to just convince one another why they're right and everyone else is wrong. I've made blanket statements before about voting certain ways and being a Christian; and this is me owning up to that publicly and saying I'm sorry for being judgmental in that statement. I don't ever want to be that way, but as I've mentioned at least twice here today already, I am human and I do regularly mess up. The Lord knows my heart, though, and He is always quick to forgive and to convict me for the times when my sinful flesh wants to take over. 

As for my reader friend, I shared a picture on an earlier post recently, and that was what prompted her to question me. I am so glad that she felt like she could question me! I want people to know why I am the way that I am and what I believe in and how that affects my life in every area. I will never push an agenda on you, I promise, and I also want you to know that I love a lot of people who vote the opposite way of how I vote. We can all be adults and discuss hard things, you know? I also want to welcome people here to ask the hard questions. We should never go "at" someone before taking time to pray before what we say, and we should never go to them in anger. My reader friend reacted in the way that we should all react, and she made sure that I knew she wasn't going to argue or that she meant it as a hateful question. I appreciated that she let me know her tone, because oftentimes, that is hard to sense behind a computer screen. More often than not, people are mean behind their screens, but that wasn't at all the case. Also, know that I have gone "at" someone before, and I have always regretted it in the end. Our words truly have the power to build others up or to destroy them. I'm sure you've experienced this truth; how hard is it to forget hateful or hurtful words? We've all been on the receiving end of such words! 

As for my thoughts on this friend, I love her in Christ and in the way that Jesus says we should love everyone. I want His very best for her, and I pray that my response was gracious and informative with the word of God. I don't feel the need to justify to anyone why I believe what I do, because to do that would mean that I'm apologizing for being me. I'm not here to please man, but to please God (Galatians 1:10), but I welcome questions from anyone about anything. I am not a fighter, and I am definitely not one to debate back and forth. I'll answer any question as forthrightly as possible, though, but if it ever becomes mean and argumentative, I will turn the comments off or start deleting, not because I am scared by that, but because to do that is never pleasing to the Lord. We're to be gracious, kind, and loving with our words one hundred percent of the time. 

So, that was probably way more than you bargained for in today's Thankful Thursday post, but I wanted to write this as a response to my friend who asked me a thought provoking question. I don't really want to point her out to anyone, though it's nothing that is hidden from your view. I guess I am being intentionally evasive out of respect for her; but I also don't want to cause any debating or hurtful comments directed her way. We should remember who we are and Who we represent at all times. I hope these words are thought provoking for you today, and I hope that they're a challenge as well to be careful in the words you speak. I always, always need that reminder, friends, because the struggle is real most days. Know that I will never say to you what I need to be first to hear. Ask any of my immediate family members that I've lived with; they will be quick to assure you this is true. 

Thanks for being here today to read my blog! I always appreciate your kindness. Love to all! 

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