Does anyone find themselves super discouraged by the things going on in our world?
As I write this, this insanity that was the Coronavirus has all but worn off. Now, the world has returned to identity politics; the media to race baiting. There are riots and protests and looting. Chaos has ensued. There is so much hatred and anger and misconstrued gospel messages. A lot of finger-pointing, guilt-tripping, and victim-playing going on.
You may be wondering: where are all the people speaking the truth? How are so many people being so easily deceived? Why are so many excusing anger, hate, and violence? Why has right become wrong, and wrong become right? Why is nobody waking up to the truth? When will this end? What’s my place in all of this?
One of my favorite things that Jesus ever said was to “shake the dust off your feet.”
“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” Matthew 10:14
So, I try not to let things affect me. I usually catch myself and pray before becoming upset and dwelling on the negativity. I don’t usually take things personally. When other people say crude things about me, make up stories, or call me names, I don’t pay it any mind. But recently, I’ve found that if I spend too much time on social media, I am more emotional by the end of the day, more irritable, more stressed.
If you’re like me, you want people to see the truth so that they can be free! The truth sets us free! The problem is, we can’t open the eyes of the blind. We can’t free slaves. And sometimes, being a warrior for the truth out there in the world can feel and be taxing, emotional, and stressful.
Guess what? You don’t have to be.
I will never be the one to tell you not to speak up and speak out for truth. I personally love a little (kind and respectful) back-and-forth. But oftentimes, especially when it comes to controversial and hyper-sensitive topics, we must pick our battles, and the Holy Spirit must guide us on when the time is appropriate to speak up.
There is one place we must always be a warrior for truth, however. It’s not Facebook. It’s not Instagram, or Twitter. It’s in our homes.
It all starts in the home. Because when other people don’t understand our love, we can show love to our families. Even when other people can’t understand our peace, we can bring peace into our families. When other people can’t see that sharing the truth is part of true love, we can love our families by sharing truth.
Every problem we face as a society is a direct result of broken families and homes. The traditional family is under attack. Single motherhood is at an all time high. Promiscuity abounds. Fathers are no longer leaders, mothers no longer keepers of their homes or children. When families fall apart, society falls apart. We are seeing this now.
Home is where the difference is truly made. Home is where generational curses are broken. Home is where children learn kindness and love. Not protesting in the streets, virtue signaling on Facebook, or getting into debates with people that are angry and blind. You’re probably not going to shape very many people out there in the world. Sure, God may use what you say to encourage and make an impact. It can and does make a difference. But there is no more important job than serving our husbands and families. There is no job more important for us women than shaping the lives of our children. You may not be able to teach a friend or acquaintance right from wrong, but you can teach and show your children, who will then grow to teach and show their children right from wrong, and so on and so forth. Generations of families who impact the world just by living in truth. It starts in the home.
Even if you are single, you can focus on loving, serving, and speaking truth into the people in your life- your parents, your siblings, your extended family, your close friends.
My father is a pastor, but he always made it clear that his first ministry was not the congregation; it was us- his wife and children. We came first. It was more important to him that we know Christ, than those who heard his message on Sunday’s. When we would see brokenness in the world and not fully understand why we didn’t experience this same kind of sadness and brokenness, he would tell us, “It starts in the home.”
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Titus 2:3-5
Women, our first ministry is not out there in the world. Our first priority should be our families- over a career, a hobby, and even over evangelizing to the outside world. If you are a wife and/or mother, your first ministry is not to your women’s Bible study, or to your angry Facebook friends, or those in your workplace. It is to your husband, to your children. This is why God united you with your husband. This is why God entrusted you with those precious little ones.
God created and intended for the family structure to be the most influential space for the advancement of His kingdom. Let us not forget this.
My mom reminded me this morning that I’m carrying a child, and the stress that I put on not only affects me, but has profound health effects on the baby’s development, not just physically, but spiritually as well. When I’m stressed, he’s stressed. Even this early on, what I do for my child has such an impact.
You may not convince the world of their sins, but you can get right with God. You can encourage your husband in his walk with Christ. You can teach and show your children the right ways to live- to find freedom and identity in Christ alone, be quick to forgive, live in peace, love others, speak truth.
We can all spend more time loving our husbands. We can all spend more time training up our children. Speaking truth into their lives. Making our homes a place of peace, an atmosphere of calm, when the world is practically burning outside the walls of our homes.
So when you are discouraged, don’t use it as an excuse to get in heated debates. Turn off the T.V. Delete the apps. Even if you are saying the right things. Instead, clean your home. Light a scented candle. Get rid of clutter. Put some flowers on the table. Cook a good meal. Play with your children. Spend time with your husband. Bake a treat for your family. Lavish them in love. Remind them of the truth. Don’t try to change the world. Go and change your world.
With love,
Solie Osorio