I have concluded that I will do things differently than I would typically do them in some areas of my life, especially pertaining to culture and obligations. I’m not looking to throw the baby with the bathwater, but if the baby’s gotta go, I won’t keep it just to save face.
I’ll probably always reference Plato’s allegory of the cave because in it I see life play out in the same way. In their analysis of this allegory, many folks have highlighted the fact that many people are unwilling, or unable to pursue the truth. They believe that what is in front of them is what’s real --- they don’t even know there is a truth to pursue. I believe that at various stages in life, we’re all like this; we believe that what we see of life is the entire story.
Interestingly, I also believe that the pursuit of the truth is not necessarily this highly intellectual, fulfilling journey that we make it to be. Depending on what you uncover, you’ll be gravely disappointed, and depending on what you discover, you’ll deeply regret a lot of things. You may feel trapped, even. Why? Because there’s no do-over. You have to take what you know and decide how to move forward with it.
With that being said, when the Bible says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free”, I realize that it’s still a choice whether you want to remain free. I remember at one conference a question was asked whether one ought to fulfill familial rituals that directly contradict biblical principles, and the answer was that one ought to fulfill all expected duties; thereafter sanctify themselves and move on. But I disagree. If the truth sets free, and we willingly practice the very things that’s part of our bondage in order to fulfill all righteousness, then we have decided that the word of God is of no value. If human tradition is to be exalted above the word, then why value the word at all? Living out Christianity is a sacrifice. A sacrifice connotes blood and sweat; it pains you; it’s excruciating. You lose something. But the people connected to practices that do nearly irreparable harm to us, we compromise for because we’re unwilling to endure the rebuke that comes with it. For the gospel, we claim that we will endure all things, for nothing will cause us to surrender our salvation. Yet, at the altar of tradition, we’re willing to sacrifice a little, compromise a little; fulfill all righteousness and let grace be renewed to absolve us of our weakness and our guilt.
I don’t think it’s easy, but I don’t think serving God is easy either. Choose your hard, right?
One thing that I am learning, and that I learned too late, is that you must not choose to remain in prison to appease those who are comfortable there. Even Jesus knew to move on from the people who did not believe in Him, even when they were direct witnesses of his miracles. You can’t remain in the dark so that someone will not feel abandoned or unappreciated, or judged. Light and darkness have nothing in common with each other. When you are set free, do all that you can to remain so. Freedom is not a forced group project. Freedom is for those who want freedom and wish to empower themselves to remain free. We have to learn to say, “thus far, and no more.” We have to learn to tell our enemy that he has gone far enough, taken enough, and there’s no more room for advancement, nothing left on the table with which to negotiate. You have to decide: “I do not negotiate with terrorists.” Let God strengthen you to stand strong against the loud prisoners who rage against our freedom, that their voices do not enter into our hearts and cause us to surrender the freedom God has given. Freedom costs something. In many cases, it costs blood. We reside in nations where the freedoms that we enjoy were purchased by the blood of men and women who sacrificed themselves against an enemy who threatened the nation’s freedom. Our liberty in Christ cost His blood.
There’s a price being paid to keep you ignorant. There’s a price you have to pay to be free and stay free. It’s not every cultural practice that you must continue to practice, because it very well may keep you imprisoned. It’s not to say practice of one’s culture is akin to remaining in a cave, utterly ignorant; it means there are aspects of it that are so, and one must be diligent and vigilant to know the Truth. And when you know, to not allow others to drag you down back into the pit.
Don’t trade your destiny in exchange for someone saving face. We all have to take our losses in life and learn to walk with our head held high through it.
So, learn to be resolute, immovable, faith firmly rooted in Jesus. Build yourself up in Him so that you can stand against the enemies to your destiny and say, “thus far, and no more” without compromise, or wavering. Allow Him to be an anchor so you can make bold decisions and stand by them. I’ve learned that you don’t necessarily need the crowd to see what you see for you to make a decision. It doesn’t mean you too have to close your eyes, when they’ve already been opened to the truth. It means you now have to be brave.
Some folks aren’t that brave, but you who knows better, must do better. Generations depend on it.
