One of the more uncomfortable experiences in life is finding yourself in a situation where you have to stand up for what is right. Or perhaps you have taken a certain position on a matter, proceeding with the resulting course of action only to find that you are out on your own. You have stuck to your guns in the face of this world’s (or your community’s or your colleagues or your family’s) conventional wisdom. Yet this is not just a case of being stubbornly resolute on a matter of principle in the face of hard facts and sound advice(if you are wrong, lets just call it “stubborn” okay?). Rather I am speaking of the situation when you are right, and know it. Also it’s not yet apparent to others that you are right! These can be rather lonely times. Do we stick to our guns then or do we capitulate and blend back into the socially safe and popular fabric?
Take a brief walk with me through the annals of history and let’s consider the life of a man called Noah. He had to build an enormous vessel. He spent years building this monstrosity knowing that it was very thing. Needless to say it was the first of its kind. To the amusement of onlookers, he built it on dry land. To make matters worse, it had never rained before. Never! Think of an Ark down the road from where you stay. Noah was the only guy in his community with an Ark! He was the only man in the world with an Ark. Yet he consistently preached a message of coming judgement decade after decade. What did his neighbours say? It certainly wasn’t easy for him. Yet we are here today because he was faithful to what he knew was right, in spite of all the ridicule and reasonable arguments to the contrary.
There are those times when “standing up means standing out.” How do we handle such challenges? Perhaps you are the only one in your family or your workplace, with an Ark. Stay true to your principles and don’t let up. Stay true to God.The rewards of such consistency are more than worth the ridicule and opposition you have to face. God will honour you. Remember Noah.
Take a brief walk with me through the annals of history and let’s consider the life of a man called Noah. He had to build an enormous vessel. He spent years building this monstrosity knowing that it was very thing. Needless to say it was the first of its kind. To the amusement of onlookers, he built it on dry land. To make matters worse, it had never rained before. Never! Think of an Ark down the road from where you stay. Noah was the only guy in his community with an Ark! He was the only man in the world with an Ark. Yet he consistently preached a message of coming judgement decade after decade. What did his neighbours say? It certainly wasn’t easy for him. Yet we are here today because he was faithful to what he knew was right, in spite of all the ridicule and reasonable arguments to the contrary.
There are those times when “standing up means standing out.” How do we handle such challenges? Perhaps you are the only one in your family or your workplace, with an Ark. Stay true to your principles and don’t let up. Stay true to God.The rewards of such consistency are more than worth the ridicule and opposition you have to face. God will honour you. Remember Noah.