I hold onto things. Keepsakes, mementos, people…you name it. All of these things are pieces of who I am, for better or worse. Thankfully, there are some things I have managed to allow myself to give up along the way. Things that were damaging, limiting, and just downright silly. Things that always were and will probably remain broken. Sometimes, we just have to let those pieces fall where they may.

I originally titled this blog “Leading the Follower” with a purpose in mind. I had hoped that it would be helpful in creating a bridge across many of the differences we have with one another. Unfortunately, the messages I’ve written here haven’t reached nearly enough people to do that. The content I post here isn’t “follow-worthy” in today’s society. And that’s because even though some of what I say may very need to be heard, our ears are tuned into other things that seem more appealing and less confrontational. It just seems simpler that way.

We all follow something, even if it is to our ultimate demise. At what point will we wake up and see that the only thing that is truly worth following is Jesus Christ? Not sports, not entertainers, not politicians, and certainly not outdated movements that are based solely on appeasing a few ungrateful, unfaithful, and selfish individuals who intend to hold the rest of us hostage with their antics while they throw a temper tantrum because they haven’t been able to get over their own inadequacies. The rhetoric is sickening. Attitudes of entitlement abound. And the masses are eating it up. I, for one, will never be that hungry.

I’ve never been a fan of bandwagon mentality. I’ve never been one to conform mindlessly simply because the loudest group says I have to do so. It just doesn’t suit me. Even in terms of the way I follow Jesus, I’m not inclined to agree with many of the current church perspectives which seem to have bent to the will of those barking orders to be tolerant and “love” everyone. Jesus wanted us to care enough about our fellow man not to injure or kill him; but he didn’t want us to enable behaviors that simply don’t line up with His design for us.

This doesn’t mean that we yell and scream at each other when we don’t agree. It simply means that we take opportunities to state our case and we do so with integrity, honor, and a peaceful spirit. We DO NOT shoot people when we don’t get our way. We DO NOT tear up other people’s property because someone paid us to make a stink. We DO NOT participate in character assassination because we just “don’t like” someone. We DO NOT turn a blind eye to the abuse of children and others who cannot defend themselves. And we DO NOT stand arm in arm with those who perpetuate conflict for the sake of upholding a way of living that has been strictly endorsed and designed by Satan.

Anyone who feels that they have the right to talk down to someone, to show blatant disrespect for those in authority, to tear down what hard-working people have built up, or to thumb their nose at what God says is absolutely wrong will have some explaining to do when all is said and done. He gives us free will, but He also gives us guidance on how we are supposed to act. I would recommend that if you have lost touch with what that guidance entails, you should pick up a Bible and begin reading.

We don’t all have to agree on every little thing, but we should always act in a manner that reflects the goodness of our Creator. We should always honor Him in everything we do and eventually, we will see that we are more in agreement than we originally thought possible. But in order to do that, lots of us are going to have to step out from behind our egos and start working to repair the damage that we’ve done. It’s time to start picking up the pieces and handing them to God.

Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

~Deuteronomy 11:1 NIV~

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