A Departure from The Norm

One Person's Humble Opinion

Caught up in all things farmy here at Stone Cottage Farm, sometimes I do indeed find myself in the middle of a conversation and suddenly feel as though I've been "living under a rock" as the saying goes.

Working full time here on the farm there are sometimes stretches of a few days where I never leave the property, and others where if I do, it's only a short jaunt to town for more canning jar lids or milking supplies. 

Luckily, we do have internet and television, so I do have access to the latest news. Although I'll admit that I often am the "last to hear" of the latest controversy or "must know" news, as I prefer to limit the time spent on what is pushed off as "news" these days. So many times the only exposure I grant myself to current national or world events is whatever shows up in a Facebook feed, that I am then free to research for myself if I choose. 

I'm starting to sound a little like an eccentric, or at best, a hermitish person, right? Well, I've never denied the eccentric part. But I don't mean to come off as anti-news or anti-social, rather just that I prefer to carefully select what I expose my mind and heart to, and therefore what I think on, which is sort of part of the point of this blog today.

In a departure from the norm, I wanted to share some thoughts on some of the current controversies dominating news and many conversations lately. 

Here is where you may expect a far left or far right or far-fetched rant to begin, passionately rambling on about same-sex marriage, or government involvement in our lives, or gun laws, or the latest sex scandal....or, you name the controversy. I hate to disappoint, but instead of ranting I wish only to impart a humble opinion. And, compared to your own personal beliefs, what I have to say may sound far-fetched indeed, but then that, as well, is sort of the point of this post.

I am blessed to have a deep faith, based on what I believe to be the Truth, and the only truth, by which I do my best to live. (My faith means nothing if I do not actively live by it.) The longer I live by this faith, the more I realize my own imperfections, and extreme smallness in this wide, grand universe, and thereby, my need of more faith.

What, exactly, is that faith, that Truth in which I base my beliefs and therefore life? It is that there is one God, creator and loving father of all, and that through His son Jesus Christ we can each have a personal relationship with God, and spend not only this life, but the eternal life hereafter with Him.

 ...And, there go some readers. But if you're still interested, please keep reading.

As many people of many faiths, I feel I am passionate about mine; it shapes how I perceive and travel through life.

And it's why it is so saddening to see so many of my fellow believers at war with each other and those who believe otherwise, expending so much energy and time debating and focusing on issues which are not meant for us to debate or focus on.

There will always be, in this life here on earth, people who live by ways with which we do not agree, things that happen that we don't understand, governments that operate in ways, and pass laws which are opposed to our own personal beliefs....That is the way life in the world is.

A world in which God's law reigns, and everything lines up to the way it was intended in His sight, is not this one we are living in now, but the one to come.

And so, as we journey through the days appointed to us here and now, let us not focus on what is wrong, what is hurtful, what does not line up with our faith. We cannot stand for our faith while we are pushing others down or away, and we cannot impact the world with our faith by insisting everyone and everything operates by it. If we truly believe in what we profess to be Truth, then our job is to ourselves live by that faith, and then share it with others. The rest is up to Who we believe in, and only He - not petitions, or changes in government laws, or anything else - can change hearts and minds and ways. If something is not right for us because of what we believe, then we ought not do it, but it is not for us to decide for others what is right for them.

I will leave you with a few verses, to try and summarize the thoughts I've scribbled out above. Blessings.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." ~Philippians 2:14-16

Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." ~Luke 20:22-25

"For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." ~I John 2:16-17

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." ~ John 6:28-29

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." ~Matthew 28:18-20

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things." ~Philippians 4:8