“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV).
Have you ever stood in a strong wind and, despite your best efforts, had to take a step to maintain your balance? I’ve come to recognize HEARTstrong as that step as the winds of change blow against God’s church.
Such gale-force winds do remind me of my roots…
When I went to elementary school in Newfoundland, as a preacher’s kid who moved from town to town, I had the opportunity to attend several Pentecostal schools in which the full doctrine of the Bible was taught and modeled. After high school graduation, while I took the necessary courses in the local university to attain my Bachelor of Education degree, I had to take an extra course to qualify to teach in a Pentecostal school. My first three teaching assignments were in this denominational school system. Christian parents could send their children to school with confidence that the curriculum would not go against the Word of God.
The winds of change blew the denominational system out to sea, and the island adopted the approach of public education, except for the Roman Catholic church, which continued to fund some of its schools. As I continued my teaching career in this public system in Newfoundland and then here in Ottawa, I tried to insert Christianity wherever I could get away with it. And, in a world where we try to be inclusive, at least in our schools, we were encouraged to acknowledge all of the more common cultural/religious celebrations, especially those represented by students in our classes.
So, during the Christmas season a couple of years ago, I mentioned that for many people, Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. My jaw dropped in surprise when a child asked, quite innocently, “Who is Jesus?” It broke my heart and speaks of how far our society has fallen.
My journey as a teacher, one who has been around for a while, has taken some twists and turns. The winds of change have blown in curriculum that deviates from God’s Word in many regards, but social norms are the standard now, not an ancient book of rules. As educators, we have had to participate in many workshops, teaching us how to navigate this changing world. You know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks…
On a more global scale, the expression “the winds of change” often refers to political and cultural revolution. Because of a 90’s rock song with that name, the expression has come to mean the desire for people all over the world to live in peace together; a wonderful sentiment.
The question for us as a church is whether living in peace together means accepting sin and softening God’s standards. The wind of change we need is the wind of the Holy Spirit, the wind of fire and power from the throne of God. We need this wind to be able to withstand the world’s winds of change.
Heartstrong is our step to stand firm as we study God’s Word and become confident in knowing God’s stance on current world issues and social norms. As lifelong learners, we continue to grow in discretion and knowledge about what we believe while showing genuine love for the world in its condition. We are His vessels, His hands and feet. Let’s plant our feet on God’s foundation and stand firm in those gale-force winds.
And, let’s not forget, the opportunity Heartstrong has given us for mutual upbuilding. God made us for community. Sometimes, we are the encouragers, and sometimes we are on the receiving end. We don’t need to do difficult things alone. Let’s join hands and stand firm together! (When we’ve all been fully vaccinated, of course!)
Father, You are the One Truth, the One Life, the One power who will never change. We anchor our faith in You. Help us to grow as believers, to upbuild each other, and to be stronger together. We invite Your wind to move among us, to set us on fire for You. May we then spread the flame to the world in the message that God is still the answer! Amen.
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19
For more blog posts like this and a link to a free prayer/meditation series, visit Val’s Stage at https://valsstage.com/. If you’re on Instagram, check out my Tuesday Tickle and Friday Funny posts – a joke for a chuckle and a Christian message to encourage or challenge your faith [@valdagoudie].
