I was talking with one of my mentors the other day, whom I value very greatly. Whenever I have time, I really try to soak up all of her wisdom, because God speaks directly and clearly through her. The other day she said something that really struck me. She said to me “don’t move your lines.” I think this is VERY important in our world today, because there is so much pressure between peers and in society to “move your lines”, shift your standards, or alter your values and maybe do or say something that initially makes you uncomfortable. The more you become comfortable with moving your lines, the more comfortable you become with sin. This is scary, because sin is an extremely dangerous thing and often disguises something as “not a big deal”. It is important to have our priorities and values in order, and once we do, I believe we need to stick to them and stay strong, not moving our lines to make others happy and gain acceptance. This can be a very hard thing to stick to, so I believe that with an accountability partner or a close friend who knows your values and will keep you accountable, this becomes a little easier. In Ephesians 4:15, it says this: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” We are called to speak the truth in love to our brothers and sisters, even if it might bother them at first. We are also called to find friends who will speak the truth to us, calling us out if we move our lines or shift our values. However, sometimes we can be really defensive and get frustrated when someone calls us out. My mentor and I were talking about this as well, and how before we respond in a defensive manner to the friend calling us out, we should ask ourselves “is there truth in what they are saying?” And if there is, to give ourselves a reality check and remember to keep that friend close by because they are few and far between 🙂
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“The Lord bless you and keep you, may The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you, may The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
xo Annie
