Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Praying for Boldness


How many of us compromise on a daily basis? Sometimes compromise is good; if it is done out of love, within marriage for example, compromise does not have to be a bad thing at all. The problem comes in when we start to compromise our integrity; when we start to "give in" just a little, and end up saying yes to things when we really should be saying no.

Looking back on this past weekend alone, several instances come to mind in which I compromised who I am, and what I claim to stand for. They were just small things, seemingly insignificant, but quickly those "small things" can add up to one big compromise, and we can soon discover that what we claim is important to us doesn't come across as important at all to those around us.

I recently read a book that has really challenged the way I look at my life and my priorities. The book is titled How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. The three authors are incredibly intelligent; Clayton Christensen is a professor at Harvard Business School, James Allworth a graduate of Harvard Business School, and Karen Dillon is the former editor of the Harvard Business Review...extremely intelligent people. In my reading of the book, sometimes my tired mommy brain had a hard time wrapping itself around the concepts discussed in it, but it was fascinating nonetheless. Toward the end of the book, there's a section about integrity; the question is posed: How can I be sure I live a life of integrity?

I'm not going to give away the whole chapter, but I do want to share two key sentences that have stuck with me, and that keep popping into my mind this week:

Decide what you stand for. And then stand for it all the time.



Those simple yet profound statements have been burned into my mind, and as I mediate on them I have to ask myself: What do I stand for?? And how can I stand for it all the time?? I mean, life is unpredictable, and I am always making compromises...I am someone who doesn't like to ruffle feathers...I am a people pleaser.

In the book, Clay Christensen tells a really interesting story about when he was in college. He was a key player on the college basketball team; the team made it to the championship game, but he soon found out that the game was scheduled to be played on a Sunday. He found himself in a tough situation. You see, at age 16 he had promised God that he would not play basketball on any Sunday. He had to decide between a promise he made to God, and his team who was counting on him to help them win the championship. Ultimately, despite the coach and his teammates' objections, he chose to honor his promise, and did not play in the game. In the end, his team won anyway, and he did not compromise his integrity. He stood for something, and even in the midst of controversy he held firm to it.

This story left me thinking about all of the promises I've broken with God; I compromise all the time. This story prompted me to pray for boldness in my life, for strength to do what this man did, and stick to what I say. God honors faithfulness to Him; man's praise is fleeting, but God...well, our relationship with Him is eternal.

I started reading Philippians this week, and God revealed something really special to me. Paul wrote this letter from prison to the believers in Philippi; he was suffering in jail yet he was encouraging his brothers and sisters. In chapter one verses 27-30 he says this:

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have."

Did you catch what the underlined sentence says? "For it has been granted to you...to suffer for him". This has been given to us: the gift of not just believing in Him, but suffering for Him. Do you see it as a gift? How can someone rejoice in suffering? It's a mystery wrapped fully in the love of Christ; when we suffer for him (whether emotionally through criticism due to unmet expectations of the those around us, or physically like Paul in prison) we can rejoice because to those of us who stand for Him there is so much more to the picture than what we can see. It's hard to stand firm in the face of controversy, pain, and loneliness, but we are never truly alone, and when we choose what we know is right we can hold our head high knowing that we didn't compromise our integrity. God is faithful, and an ever-present help in times of need; we can trust in Him in the midst of any circumstance. We are gifted to suffer for Him, we are granted this incredible privilege; there is joy to be found there.

In the Old Testament I have been reading about Moses passing the responsibility of leading the Israelites to Joshua. Moses laid out all of the laws; he spoke and recorded everything the Israelites needed to know before they crossed the Jordan to enter the land that God was giving to them. When Moses had finished the work God had given him, God then raised up Joshua to be the leader of His people. He said to Joshua: "Be strong and be courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you. (Deuteronomy 31:23)" In fact several times throughout Joshua's story God tells him to "be strong and be courageous...” God was with him as Joshua faithfully served Him and trusted in Him.

God is with us too, and He tells us to be strong and courageous for Him. In 2 Timothy 1:7-9 Paul writes,

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."

If you feel the Holy Spirit whispering to you, if you have certain convictions that God has laid on your heart, and if you have decided to stand for Him, don't let a bunch of little "give ins" compromise your integrity; stand firm for what you believe in all the time. Pray for boldness, for strength to stand your ground, and trust that the Lord who sees everything will be faithful to you in every situation. You might find yourself in the middle of controversy, you might "let down" your friends, or your coach, and you might wonder if you'll ever "fit in" again, but hear this:  be strong and be courageous. God honors faithfulness in a big way, so if He is what you stand for, stand for Him all the time.