Stand up and be heard....

As I watched the news last night, I realized that to stand up for something that you believe in is difficult and usually sacrificial. I am referring to the graduates who felt strongly enough to miss their graduation ceremonies because the speaker stood for something that they didn't believe. They could be called radicals. They could be viewed as having no respect for the office of the President of the United States.

It is not easy to stand up for something. History has had many who have stood up against what was the norm. Against what was acceptable and showed lack of respect for the "organization."

Martin Luther nailed his doctrinal questions and answers on the door of a church and history changed. Moses stood up against a ruler and there was significant plagues that happened to the Egyptian people.

I think of the most radical individual, Jesus, who stood up against the ruling body of the church, the Pharisees, and called them vipers, hypocrites, and charged them with being tied to the law and followers of the law with no love to the God that they were serving.

Jesus set the example for us to stand up. He commands us to go and be witnesses for His name. Whether these young people stood up as a protest to abortion in the name of Jesus or just to protest abortion, I don't know. What I do know is that they stood up. They took a stand. It is so easy to blend in with the crowd but much more difficult to stand up and be counted. I wonder what I have taken a stand for lately. What do I feel passionately about?

My passion for Christ should spur me on to stand out in a crowd. It should push me to the levels of my comfort zone and then past it. My love for Christ and my dedication for Him should be evident in everything I do. Unfortunately, sometimes, it is far too easy to blend in.