Real Faith Takes Bold Steps

In a devotional I read from "Parenting by Design" put out by Christianity.com on November 23, 2011 entitled “Faith in the Unseen”, I am reminded of the Scripture I posted to my FB page - 2 Corinthians 4:18 "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but rather on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, and what is unseen is eternal."

 Today's devotional is about Noah's decision to take a bold stand for righteousness for the spiritual well-being of his family in the midst of nay-sayers, persecution, and social ostracism. Could you imagine the consequence that would have come to mankind had Noah disobeyed?  But it was his faith in God that rescued his family from spiritual shipwreck.  It was his faith in God that changed the history of mankind.  He fixed his eyes on what he could not see – what was eternal, instead of what he could see.  Anyone can possess faith for what they can see, but real faith exists in the hope of what we do not see that is yet to come. 

It reminds me of two instances in my life when I did not walk in faith. 
Thirteen years ago I clearly heard God tell me to home school our children and at that time we only had two.  I chose not to do it.  For a year, I walked my eldest child to kindergarten under great conviction from the Holy Spirit.  Why, simply because I did not fix my eyes on the unseen, but only on what I could see in front of me.  I fixed my eyes on all the temporal excuses I used to justify my disobedience and my lack of understanding God’s greater plan for, not only my life, but the life of my family.  

The second instance involved taking our family to the movies.  We chose a particular movie advertised as “family-oriented” with previews that appeared to be family friendly.   There were all kinds of movie-goers present with their children.  All five of us sat in the same row and within a few minutes after the movie began, it was very evident that the movie was going to be filled with sexual innuendos and adult situations all cloaked in the deceptive mirage that the movie was about a family, therefore it was alright to watch.  My heart told me to stand up and remove my children immediately.  My mind was consumed with only “the seen” at that moment.   I would be “the bad guy”; my children would be angry and embarrassed; I would be embarrassed.   I would inconvenience the rows of people behind us trying to watch the 21^st century trash being portrayed as a movie for the whole family.  I had put my trust in the Hollywood previews, instead of adhering to the family boundaries we established by God’s Word.  If I had put faith in the unseen, I would have taken a bold step like Noah for my family, and I would have gotten up with my family and left.  Who knows what affect my boldness of faith would have had on the other families there.  Maybe the others were thinking the same thing, but they didn’t have the courage or faith to take the same bold step. Maybe I would have been persecuted or laughed at, or even seen as holier-than-thou.  The choices we make for our families will always fall into two categories: seen or unseen; temporal or eternal; disbelief or faith.

If we are to take a stand for our children, we must take a bold one, just as Noah did in his day, just as Joshua did when God renewed His covenant at Shechem and told them “to choose this day whom you shall serve”, or when Peter with the eleven boldly stood, proclaimed the truth of Jesus Christ to all the nay-sayers on the day of Pentecost when the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the believers who gathered together and waited as Christ commanded them.

I know on that day I dropped the ball.  I disappointed God, and ultimately, my family.  That day I lowered the standard and exposed my family to an item God would not have served at His banquet table.  I also know the power of God’s grace that covers my mistakes.  I know real faith will always involve a bold step that goes against the popular belief of the day.  

Our children, as they grow, may not fully understand the bold choices of righteousness we make for them, but when they are older and have families of their own, what they knew in part as a child will come full circle.  They will understand fully the boldness we took to keep them safe from the evil one and his desire to destroy their lives through worldly means and pleasures.

 
Like me, if you have made mistakes as a parent- and we all have- know that God is only a prayer away from forgiving us.  Today is a new day to live for God with real faith that lets us take bold steps for righteousness in midst of nay-sayers, persecution, and social ostracism.