I’m seeing a lot that disturbs me. I’m sure you are, too. Oddly, I don’t want to talk about what you might expect. What has really stuck in my mind are the messages our young girls are getting from us, women. Under the pressures of political correctness, we have all lost our minds. All of us. Whether we want to admit it or not. Not demeaning anyone in these organizations, because I know it was a decision made by only a handful, but, as a woman, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the Girl Scouts and Kappa Delta sorority removing, rescinding, and apologizing for their congratulatory acknowledgement of the newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice. Completely set aside who nominated her- only 4 other women have achieved what she has and neither female organization had the courage to stand behind a simple congratulations. She is a widely acclaimed brilliant legal mind and has an admirable family life, but was not found worthy of any kind of acknowledgment because of her beliefs. So, for the young girls and young women in those organizations and even those who aren’t, what does that say to them? Well, it sounds something like this- Stand up for what you believe is decent and good and admirable- until you receive negative feedback for what you believe and then you should take it back and apologize for feeling that way. And only women who fit into a certain belief mold are worthy of public praise or admiration, so stick to the mainstream set of beliefs if you want to be successful and accepted. And don’t forget, girls, public opinion and keeping others pacified are always more important than truth, character, or conviction. Is that really the legacy we want to leave for them? What kind of example are we being to our girls? How can we expect them to embrace inclusiveness, have the courage to take a stand, or feel secure in their beliefs when we can’t do any of those things?  

We have come to the place in America where we can’t grant any measure of acceptance, approval, or positive acknowledgement of anyone who doesn’t hold our same beliefs, political views, or values. Because of that, we are fractured. We’ve become like bitter enemies who only want a win for our side. Each time we apologize and cave to social pressures, we become weaker- our word, our credibility, our strength, our integrity, our resolve. I’m not sure that we can continue to put our words and actions in reverse whenever public opinion demands it and continue to be respected by anyone- the people who think differently from us or the young people we’re trying to influence. There is such a lack of courageous conviction in our country. We all have caved to the fears of the cancel culture. There is no appetite for expressing opinions that might cause backlash or loss of business or loss of followers or even worse in our current climate. We want to go along to get along because no one likes to experience criticism or ridicule. We just keep our opinions to ourselves and keep our heads down and, because of so little push back from us, social media and news channels are deciding what we hear and see and say. Articles require “special explanations” before we read them, comments are removed, commenters are placed in Facebook and Twitter jail, and news channels suddenly lose their satellite connections when dissenting opinions are speaking. 

This isn’t my normal type of post. Y’all know me. I like to keep it light around here. But, I’ve felt convicted of my lack of courage, lately. And, no, I’m not a conspiracist. I’m not talking about politics here. I don’t do that because that always alienates half of the people you’re trying to reach and sharing God’s love is more important than sharing my political opinions. No, I’m talking about the conservative Christian beliefs and values of a large group of people that are being dismissed, muffled, ridiculed, and phased out and we are, for the most part, sitting by and letting it happen. We’ve adapted to the new rules. There is no courage behind our conviction. We have been bullied into playing along in silence. Even among Christians, I think there is a trend encouraging us to always be positive, stay above the fray, and not speak of such things for fear of sounding anything but exceedingly joyful at all times. But, sometimes, we are called to speak of such things. And take a stand. Otherwise, we are weak and obsolete. 

Our nation has always celebrated free thinking and unique ideas. We are free to speak and worship and believe any way we choose. If you’re not seeing us trending away from that in a seismic way, then maybe I’m the one who’s nuts. I don’t think that God wants us to go along to get along or to measure our words to please the crowd. He certainly never did that. I believe we’re expected to give praise to those things which are good and right and have the courage to stand up and call out those things that are not right or just- using God’s word to determine which is which. Above all, may we set ourselves apart from the rest by doing it all with a spirit of warmth and love- but with an unwavering courage. If we don’t speak up when it’s needed, we are letting down our God, our country, and our children. 

God, give us courage.  

A more typical post will return next week- hopefully, bringing my taste and smell along with it. 

Y’all have a good Thursday!!

JONI