Toxic Patriotism vs. Toxic Rebellion

     We live in tumultuous days, though I suppose many peoples throughout history have said the same. Today nations are rising and falling, there are questions about what to do with refugees, when to go to war, who to aid and who to leave to their suffering, and in the U.S we continue to argue over who should be president over the country, who we should ad should not let into our borders and why, what should be legal and what should be outlawed. Among all of these things, I have seen one that disturbs me more than many others... Christians waving the flag of America above the Bible, fighting for, loving, and adoring the country in which they reside more than they fight for, love, and adore God. So what do we make of this patriotism? On the other side of the spectrum, there are Christians who openly rebel against the law of this country, seeking to punish, outlaw, and persecute those who do not claim to be Christian and are following the law of this land. They believe this government should be overthrown and replaced with one that follows only the law of the Bible and reflects the kingdom of heaven. So what to we make of this rebellion? Is there a side in this spectrum that is right and  side that is wrong, or is there a deeper truth we must seek out? I encourage each person to come to their own conclusion by prayerfully meditating over the Scripture, but I will present my own case.
When Jesus is questioned about the morality of paying taxes, which was a trick question to put Jesus on one side of the spectrum or the other, He asked them whose face was on their gold coins, the answer of course being Caesar. In response to this, "Jesus said to them 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17) This was a hard answer for many people to swallow, Jesus was not swearing allegiance to Caesar, but  neither was He inciting rebellion against Caesar. We are reminded to respect and submit to the authorities of the lands we live in. Titus 3:1 says, "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work" Everyone that is in power, everything that has ever happened has passed through the hands of God. He has allowed it and in our obedience to Him we are also subject to the authorities He has allowed. However, in Acts 5:27 we are told, "But Peter and the apostles answered 'We must obey God rather than men" So where do we find this balance between submitting to earthly authorities and obeying God? In Genesis, Joseph is ordered by his master's wife, who also had authority over him, to sleep with her. Joseph refused, because he knew doing so was a DIRECT violation of God's word, and so in order to remain faithful and obedient to God, he had to disobey a figure of authority. When Daniel was exiled to Babylon, he was ordered to do many things that went directly against God. He was given food to eat that the Lord had declared unclean, and in response he refused to eat it and requested clean foods. The king of Babylon passed a law that no one was to pray to or worship any god, but must worship the king himself. Daniel refused to follow this law as it went directly against God, and he continued to pray to the only true and living God, and refused to pray to the king. For this, he was thrown into a den of lions, but because he had remained faithful to God, he was kept safe in the lion's den, and this miracle brought the king himself to believe and trust in God. When we are ordered by the law to do something that goes directly against God's law for us, we must disobey the law of the land even if it disrespects our authorities, because "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20)  We should not expect the laws that come from the authorities of this world to reflect the laws of God, but it is not our place to rebel, and try to force those who do not follow the living God to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. They are bound by their own rebellious actions, but our place is to lovingly teach them about the grace and freedom that can be found in Christ, not to force a religion upon them using the authorities of this world. Our concern is not with this world, "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:14) at the end of days there will be a kingdom run by Jesus Christ that will be perfect, and will follow the law of heaven, and every other kingdom of this world will fall before then and their authority will be void. "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom of God the Father after destroying every rule, and every authority, and every power," but until that day, we seek to bring people into the kingdom of God by living in a way that honors God, shines His light, and proves His UNCONDITIONAL love to everyone. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you," because our concern is not for the church to rule over the kingdoms and authorities of this world, but to focus on the eternal, "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Our allegiance is not to a country, a flag, a president, an earthly king, or an authority of this world, our allegiance is to God alone, and our concern is with heavenly things, with reaching the broken and lost on a personal, one on one basis. Neither are we concerned with changing the rulers and authorities of this world, for God is already in control of it all. They will rise and fall at His command, and it is not our place to force the whole world to follow a law they do not believe in. So when someone tells you that you have to love your country and be a true patriot in order to be a Christian, or when someone tells you that it is our job as Christians to force the law of the land to follow the law or God, remember that "God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and sets over them anyone he wishes," (Daniel 5:21c) and "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ," (Colossians 2:8) but instead remember that Jesus lists the most important commandments in Matthew 22:37-39 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself"


~Katie Stone

Live Fearless

In one and a half weeks I have my graduation party, and a week later I move back to my hometown to live with my grandmother. None of my current plans involve attending college, or even trade school. My talent and passion is writing novels. So I'll be spending my days working at Meijer and taking any babysitting jobs I can get while my days off and evenings will be spent writing. This is what I've chosen, this is what I want. I have no qualms with working a day job my whole life, and I have no intention of ever giving up on my writing. Over the past few months I have dealt with many people questioning my decisions. They want to know why I'm not going to college, why I'm moving to another state and in with my grandmother. They want to know why I'm wasting my time on an art. They tell me I'm throwing my life away, and that I'm not going to accomplish anything worth doing. What makes some thing worth doing? Is it money, is it prestige? Do you consider my life lesser because I'm not following the meticulously carved mold that society has created? Now maybe you are attending college or trade school, and I think that's great if that's what you want to do! However, if you're like me and you're taking a path less travelled, don't let people talk you out of building the life you want to live. Don't let them tie your worth to money or acconpkisents or prestige. A dear friend of mine once wrote "even if you never learned another thing you would be perfectly adequate and utterly invaluable" you are enough because God says you are enough for Him. You are far too precious to put any price on your worth, because Christ has made you worthy. When you were formed in your mother's womb, you were enough for God, and before you took your first breath you were more valuable than all the universe in His eyes. So don't waste your time trying to make the choices that other people expect. Don't live in the world that other people have defined for you. Fond your freedom in Christ and use the gifts and talents He gave you. Fearlessly follow the desires He has set in your heart, and never be ashamed of a job that someone else looks down on. Never let them take away your self esteem just because they make a few more dollars than you. Live fearlessly. You know who you are, live in that knowledge.

The Battle

         I’m searching for the perfect words, but they are elusive. What can I say that hadn’t been said before? You are like me. You smile and laugh all the time, your friends say you’re a ray of sunshine. People like to say you couldn’t possibly understand their sorrow since obviously you have a perfect life. How little they know. They do not see the tears behind closed doors, small and silent in the night. They do not hear the heart wrenching sobs that cause you to close your door and turn the music up so you can’t be heard. No one sees you on your knees, pressing your hands to your head in an attempt to squeeze the voices into silence. No one is in your head when you spend half an hour in the morning trying to convince yourself that the days plans are meaningful and y should get up even though everything feels pointless. No one is there in the night when you wake up in a full panic from dream and spend 4 hours trying to calm yourself enough to fall asleep. What’s more, when they do witness the torture in your head, they cannot comprehend. Your co-worker sees you struggling to sign a meeting form with your violently shaking hand and looks with confusion into your perfectly calm face. Your church friends tell you, “When I get anxious I just pray and it all goes away!” but they’ve never heard your raw and bleeding cries sent out to God, begging  Him to fight this battle for you. You ask why. You lie awake at night wondering what you’ve done, what you’re doing wrong that you are still tortured. Some nights your faith wavers and you question whether God is really on your side. Some days you feel you might be sick if you pull one more convincing fake smile. I know. I understand. I face those thoughts too. I’m fighting this Battle as well. My beloved ones, I have no solution, no fix all to take the pain away. However, perhaps the most powerful way we can combat these lies is with the real truth. Prosperity gospel is the worst thing for anyone with a mental disorder to hear. It lays all the blame on you, all the things you already accuse yourself of, and the times you say, “I’m a failure to God and this is my punishment.” Are only encouraged by pr0sperity gospel. Here’s the flat our truth though. Faith does not equal comfort. Not only did God not promise comfort, He promises trouble. When you follow Christ, the enemy will fit endlessly to destroy you. Joseph listened to God and he was enslaved. He rose to power in Potiphars house and was imprisoned because he obeyed what is good and pleasing to God. Job would at first seem to follow prosperity gospel. He followed God and was greatly blessed with health, wealth, and family. Job did nothing wrong, but God allowed him to be tested. Everything was taken from Job even though he remained faithful. God is not looking to give us comfort in this life, but to grow us spiritually. James 1: 2-4 “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” That’s the key, spiritual growth. As w grow through suffering, we can be compassionate enough to come alongside others who also suffer. However, do not think this means you are alone in your head, in the darkness that threatens to destroy you. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” ~ Psalm 34:18 He will not always deliver us from the darkness, and He will not always make it easy. He makes one promise… to be with us.
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or Whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend into heaven though art there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold, though art there.
If I take on the wings of the morning,
Or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘surely the darkness shall cover me’ even the night shall be light about me.
Yeah the darkness hide the not from thee, but the night shine through as the day.
The light and dark are both alike to thee.” ~Psalm 139: 7-12 

                                                              ~Katie Stone~

You Have I Loved

     This is to you, my dear friends who are slowly falling away. We walked side by side in life and faith, but now life is pulling us in different directions. We used to talk all the time, and when we talked there was never an awkward silence, only natural conversation which built on itself. You know who you are. The ones who heard every prayer request, the ones who listened to my midnight musings. When we were together, we were unstoppable. Still today just one word can flood my memory with a hundred inside jokes or deep conversations we shared. We were the ones who were always together, and when people thought of me they thought of you as well. Some of you I called best friends, others I called brothers and sisters.  Now we are just… friends. I hold nothing against you, for there is no one to blame. We didn’t fight, we didn’t neglect one another, but the path split and I took the left while you take the right. Perhaps one day our paths will fold together again, and I have no doubt that we could be as close again, but for now I think this is a small sort of goodbye. Aloha, which means goodbye, hello, and a special kind of love. Please know that when you need me I will still drop everything for you. When you’re sad, I still know precisely how to cheer you, and some days we will still have long and meaningful conversations. Most days, however, we will go about our lives and the thought of you will dance fleetingly across the landscape of my mind, there a moment and onto the memories in the next. I love you, and I always will. You have touched my life and changed me in ways no one else could have. Because for a moment in time our paths crossed, you will continue to change me forever. I am so thankful for the time we had together, and if you’re somewhere in my future then I look forward to that day. Until then “You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” ~J.M. Barrie
                                Grow, change, live, but my darling ones…
                                                           Stay you.
  
"To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
             

                                                       ~Katie Stone~

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When You're Not Smart

      I have a confession. I’m a 17 year old junior in high school and I’m only halfway through Algebra 1… yeah… I’m a 17 year old junior in high school and I’m the self-published author of two full length novels with a third on the way. One of these facts tells you that I am stupid, lazy, and I’ll never get anywhere in life. The other tells you that I am intelligent, skilled, diligent, and already making my way in life. The question is, which statement is true? If you look at one side of me, the mathematic side, you will expect nothing and think nothing of me. If you look at another side of me, the english side, you will expect and see greatness in me. Both points of view are detrimental. Everyone is like this, full of positives and negatives, and everyone seems incapable of seeing more that one side. If you see only the negatives of someone then you will tear them down before they have the chance to begin, and the Bible says, “therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”  
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11. However if you only see the good, the second someone fails you can’t believe it. They were perfect, how could they fail at something?! The Bible says, “…no one is good except God alone.” ~Mark 10:18. Instead we ought to be fully aware of one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Where one is strong, encourage them to continue on and do good with their gifts. Where one is weak, react with grace, build them up, and help them overcome. 
      As humans we will always fail; we are all flawed. However, when  our weakness is surrendered to God, we can walk in strength with the gifts and talents given to us, glorifying God in our strengths and weaknesses. Your failings do not make you a failure. Neither do your successes make you a success. You are a whole human being, created, designed, and loved by God with a unique purpose and pattern in the tapestry of His own making. “for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for going works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:10 
        
                                     ~Katie Stone~ 

New Year, Nothing New

         As 2016 draws to a close everyone complains about how bad a year it was and rejoices that a new year is here. One of my co-workers said today, "2107 will be better" but you know what? Last new year we dissed 2015 and swore 2016 would be better. Every year "New year, fresh start" It may be a new year, but do not be fooled.; It is not a new life. The new year changes nothing. It won't change that people are hateful creatures. It won't change whatever problems are in your life. 2017 doesn't renew your spiritual life, it doesn't make you healthy. 2017 wont change you or the world. You have to change your habits. You have to take your stand and change the world. There is no new life at the start of a new year unless you make a new life. You don't even have to wait until the new year to make changes. You want to believe in something new and fresh? Every minute is new and fresh. You can make a choice that changes everything at any given point in time. There is nothing new under the sun. So stop pretending that a new year, a new set of numbers is going to change things. People change things. People with passion and faith who don't stand by watching things happen  and pass the job off to someone else, someone else who never comes along and never changes things. Every year, like every day, and every moment is what you make of it. Make a difference today and every day. Shine your light into a dark, lonely, lost, and hopeless world. Do not say "I can't" because the Scripture says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." ~Philippians 4:13

                                               ~Katie Stone~

The Worth of Wisdom

   As I look around at the state of America, I can't help but wonder how we came to be as we are now, and what happened to a once great nation. As a nation we are entitled, as a nation we disregard the value of human life, as a nation we reject God. We lack wisdom. We have no respect for the elderly, but the Bible says, "You shall stand up before the grey head, and honor the face of the old man." ~ Leviticus 19:32  When we do not respect or heed our elders, we cannot learn from them. The elderly are wise, "Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?" ~Job 12:12 As we lack respect for elders, we lack wisdom, and as we lack wisdom we lack respect for our elders... on and on it goes in a never ending loop until we are all fools in our hearts and despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm." Well have become fools and companions of fools, and so spell out our own doom. We scorn wisdom, and take pride in our own limited understanding. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." ~Proverbs 16:18 We must learn to humble ourselves, admit our own folly, and seek God-given wisdom. It is not too late, for we are told, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." ~James 1:5 "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." ~ Proverbs 4:6-7

                                  ~Katie Stone~