If You Can Keep Your Head When All About You . . .

Fear talk rules the day.

I’m not afraid right now but that’s because I feel safe. I know where all my loved ones are and my little town isn’t likely to appear on a prime target list. So, it’s easy for me to write brave words. This is true.

What’s also true is that I don’t know what to do about the Syrian refugees. When one side speaks, I think they’re right until I hear arguments for the other side, then they seem right, too.

Clearly, I believe that borders and precautions are not unbiblical. My marriage is a type of border that my husband and I don’t let anyone else cross. I know where my property ends and my neighbors’ begins, and I want that line respected. I would press charges against someone who entered my home illegally. I don’t easily open my front door to strangers, even ones who look like they may be in trouble, because I know sometimes that’s a trick. I don’t take in every hurting soul I encounter or I’d be running a group home. I am likely to take more risks if I’m home alone than I would if I still had small children or was responsible for the safety of others within my walls. This is my small-scale understanding of healthy boundaries.

If we were at war, though, I’d adapt my rules. I’d have a different understanding of hospitality. I’d factor in an enemy and those fleeing from that enemy.

We are at war, loved ones, with ISIS and with the true enemy.

It’s been said our current enemies are dangerous because of their ideology and because they aren’t afraid to die. It’s true that what we communicate publicly affects the choices disaffected individuals make as they sit in front of glowing computer screens wondering if there is a place, a group, or a people to which they can belong. So, let us consider our words prayerfully, loved ones.

When we speak, we represent Jesus. Let us speak like a family – not publicly berating our brothers and sisters who see a different way to apply the same biblical truths. We’ll be called to account for EVERY word because our words are tools for building the kingdom, weapons against the darkness, and a reflection of our hearts, so let our hearts be submitted to Jesus before we write or speak.

I do have one thought.

I’ve been thinking that the only way to disarm the power of an enemy unafraid to die is to willingly lay our lives down. This is what Jesus did for us and we are His followers. We can only consider this if we, as Jesus lovers, believe there is something worse than death.

For Christians, death is an open door into the arms of Jesus and the rest of our lives. We have nothing to fear from that. Jesus told us this, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 ESV From our place of safety, we must practice being unafraid of earthly powers.

We represent Jesus so our words must not be informed by fear but by faith. We must not represent our own interests, but His. We must speak truth, love, and light into a world full of lies, hatred, and darkness. This will not win us any friends. This will surely make us targets – us and our loved ones. But, they can only take our lives and while that is no small thing, it is a greater grief if they take our witness while we remain on this earth.

Suffering is terrible, death is not to be desired, but worse than death is to betray the truth by living in cowardice, hatred, and fear when we are people called to faith, love, and light.

I do feel terrible fear when I imagine the atrocities happening in Syria happening to my daughter, my mother, my son, or to me. But, if it were happening to me, how terrible would it be if I heard those in safety say we must wait to take action until it’s happening to us?

Let’s not become unwitting pawns in the propaganda war waged by the enemy. There is time before we click, share, publish, or tweet to pray, to submit our hearts, our minds, our souls, our strengths, our fears, and our loved ones to Jesus.

He has already determined the number of our days. He has designed us to live in these times and not another. He has promised to be with us and never forsake us. He gave us the command to love knowing it would have to stand firm even in these times. God isn’t afraid of ISIS. He isn’t surprised by terrorism. He is for us, not against us, and He has mercy on us as we wrestle with these concerns. So, let us have mercy on one another.

Let us not only fall on our knees at the sound of gunfire and bombs, but let us remain there long enough to receive His orders for our next moves, our next thoughts, our next words. He is our refuge and strength. If He is with us, even if we suffer and die, we are victors. If we allow fear to rule our hearts and rob us of love and mercy, we are already captive to the enemy. If we are free in Jesus, we should live as people free to act as He would. God’s Word is to be lived even under fire. It’s easy to stitch it on pillows and wear it on T-shirts, it’s not easy to live when it costs us our lives.

I am a small person living a small life in a small place but I will live that life for Jesus and lay it down for Him. I won’t be terrorized by an enemy that has already been defeated and is destined for eternal death. Not because I’m so strong but because Jesus will make me strong. He is love and love is stronger than death.

I trust the one charged with my protection to keep me safe until my time comes. That one doesn’t reside in the oval office but sits enthroned in Heaven. Until then, I will exercise the full measure of my freedom to love generously, to pray fervently, and to fear only One.

What did one domino say to the other? Wait. We don’t have to fall.