Follow The Truth and Be Cancelled by Alan Anderson

 

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”---John 14:6,7 NIV

 

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”---John 18:37 NIV

 

A Caveat

 

As I introduce this post I realize this message may not be agreeable to all who read it. This is fine by me. I am going to go ahead and pull back a layer or two of a matter I grapple with as an ethical and moral dilemma.

 

The Truth Will Have You Cancelled

 

“Cancel culture or call-out culture is a contemporary phrase used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person…”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture

 

Not many years ago a former friend cancelled me from her life. She disagreed with my view on a particular issue. This issue is one of the many negative narratives our society perpetuates. I happen to not agree with most of these narratives. I do so because they are hostile to our Christian faith.

 

What is truth? This is a question many people over the years have pondered and attempted to answer. To some people, truth is what they believe about a particular matter or issue, etc. This phenomenon holds to a view of, “my truth.” More and more people these days have decided to embrace a subjective approach to truth. This does not make their “truth,” true.

 

An example of “my truth.”

 

In no way do I infringe on the life or self-belief of a man who claims to be a woman. He may view this as his, “truth.” If a man wants to act like a woman and wear women’s underwear or a dress, so be it. On the other hand, I do not have to believe it just because he feels he is a woman. In our contemporary era such a view is worthy of one being cancelled and regarded as no longer worthy of being a friend, or even a family member.

 

As a writer, I am cautious as to where I share my work. I am not afraid, yet I also do not want to cause unnecessary hard feelings with other people. As a Christian I accept people as best I can, but I do not have to accept their views, their lifestyles, or their truth.

 

 

Follow The Truth

 

In reality, “truth” is not a concept, or an opinion, even one held to by most citizens of a country. Truth is Jesus Christ. People at the time Jesus walked the earth did not grasp this. Pontius Pilate, the governor who handed Jesus over to be crucified missed the mark as to who Jesus is and rejected the Truth.

 

In this age in which everyone does that which is right in his, or her, own eyes, those who follow the Truth must cling to Him. For the Christian, this is not up for negotiation. Our, friends, enemies, our family, even the world may cancel us, but this changes nothing.

 

You might walk counter to the culture,

 but it is worth every step.

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.

Marking the Defining Moments by Carol Harrison

 

What are some of the defining moments in my life and how do I mark and celebrate them?  I was reminded of a charm bracelet I used to wear. It contained charms denoting significant moments in my life like my engagement, wedding, and becoming a mother.

Only some major milestones are depicted on this incomplete record of my life’s defining moments. I could add other charms to represent being a grandmother, completing my B.Ed., being a writer and speaker or my love of reading. But what about my spiritual journey? What will mark these defining moments of faith in my life?

As I read through Scripture, God often asked his people to do something to mark the defining moment in their history. In Joshua 3 & 4 we read God stopped up the waters of the flooded Jordan river once the priests obeyed and stepped into it by faith. Once the people crossed safely, on dry ground, God commanded they mark this defining moment by placing twelve stones gathered from the river bed as a memorial for future generations to ask why and hear the story of God’s miracle. Do I share something about the defining moments of my faith journey so others can hear of the ways God works today?

One very significant faith journey moment happened as I stood beside Amee’s incubator, watching her in a coma, fighting for her life, I didn’t know what else to pray. Tears punctuated the brief, “Help me God. Help my baby.” I uttered silently and constantly. God met me that second day of Amee’s life in the middle of NICU and brought distinct images to my mind and spoke with a voice that seemed audible.

God posed three questions, one after the other, pausing for my answer in between.

“Do you trust me to heal her completely? Do you trust me to heal her a little at a time, giving the doctors wisdom in how to treat her? Would you still trust me if I healed her perfectly and took her home to heaven?”

My ‘yes’ answer to the first two took no time to proclaim. The third proved a struggle. I finally told God I would trust him no matter what.

Then came a picture of an open Bible with Philippians 4: 6 &7 highlighted.

Do not be anxious – oh how worry and anxiety had punctuated the last two days.

Present your requests by prayer and petition – I’d been doing that constantly and knew others prayed too.

With thanksgiving. My heart stopped. I hadn’t thanked God for anything during this nightmare.  I begged God to forgive me and thanked him for this beautiful baby girl. I had an ‘ah ha’ moment. Each child is a gift from God whether they are here for a short time or long and God loved her more than I ever could. My prayer changed. I gave myself and Amee to God; completely trusting him for whatever he chose to do and for strength to walk the journey he had planned.

And the peace of God descended and wrapped around me like a warm fuzzy blanket so real I expected to see one around my shoulders when I opened my eyes.

Nothing in Amee’s circumstance changed when I opened my eyes. She still lay in a coma. But I knew this moment with God had changed me.

I kept this spiritual defining moment guarded in my heart for years, maybe decades. Why was I silent? At first it felt too deeply personal to share with anyone else. I’d examine it in my quiet moments and remember what I learned. This turning point coloured so many aspects of my life and faith.

Later I wondered what people might think if I shared about seeing images from God and hearing his voice so distinctly. It was nothing like I had experienced before. When I didn’t share, others never had the chance to know that the God of the Bible is still God today.

God keeps pointing me to verses like Psalm 78:1-3 or Psalm 105:1-5 where he commands his people to share his goodness and his judgements too with the next generation. How can I not obey and share the stories of what God has and is doing in my life, even if they happened in ways, I was unfamiliar with?

Now I know I can commemorate those defining moments in my faith journey through my writing and speaking instead of keeping silent. I wonder if there are charms that could be a visual representation of my faith or these ‘ah ha’ moments of my life? 

 

Carol Harrison writes, studies, and tries to remember to share those defining moments of her faith journey from her home in Saskatoon. You can visit her website at www.carolscorner.ca