Lightbearer

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 3:20

Those in the darkness hate the light. And you are to bear the light. And they will hate you for it.

For the wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.

Psalm 109:2-5

You, Christian, are a lightbearer. You are to raise your children to be lightbearers. This week the darkness started to really wear on one of my children. The hatred started to hurt my child’s heart. We talked about how darkness when illuminated is offended, a self-righteous act as the offense is not due to the light but the offensiveness being illuminated. Some things the darkness would prefer to remain in shadow, in secret.

I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.

Psalm 69:12

There are lies being spread about my family. Intentional, grievious lies with the intent to destroy. Deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, attacking without cause. Scripture has been a place of peace for me, especially the Psalms and Proverbs, this last year. I told my child that when they hate us, we love them harder. It’s the easy response to return cruel words to their hatred, but this is not the way of the light. It’s the way of darkness. We, in choosing to follow Christ, will be hated by the world. It is what our Lord told us would be our reality.

And it sucks. I told my child that the pain of betrayal, of vitriol, of hatred doesn’t get better. What gets better is the strength of our faith and our training in lifting the shield.

Christian, your job as a parent is getting harder. It seems like every day there are new things you need to protect them from. The passive agressive distain Christians got when we were younger is now out-in-the-open hatred. And it’s not even just social media, I see it openly in the mainstream media, from our President, and even from the occasional coworker that is unaware that there are Christians nearby. And your kids can see this. Raise them strong in their faith, ready to provide reasonable argument for their faith, prepare them to cling to the Cross no matter the taunts, the jeers, or the songs the drunkards make about them. Teach them to respond to the hateful songs of drunkards with praise for the Lord and love for their enemies.

Raise them to be lightbearers.

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