Pearl of the Day: Don't Be Afraid To Stand Up

Welcome back my friends!  Happy Wednesday to you!  I was talking to a friend this morning and she shared a story with me about an experience she had at a sandwich shop yesterday, in which she defended the actions of one of the workers when she was put in a tough situation with a customer.  My friend came to a part in the story where she told me that the worker actually thanked her for defending her.  I found myself getting very emotional as I was listening to this and was even brought to tears.  I told my friend that it was a good thing she did by standing up for that young lady.

There are so many times where people are quick to look the other way, or they don't stand up for what's right.  Maybe it's because they don't want to be bothered, or maybe they feel afraid, or maybe they think it's just not worth the effort or time.  I can tell you from personal experience how wonderful it feels to have someone defend you and stand up for you.  I never had anyone stand up for me when I was growing up, and really haven't had that happen very often as an adult, so when I hear of someone doing something like that, it makes my heart sing.

Standing up for the right thing is something not too many people want to do anymore.  It seems so much easier to just go with the flow, so no one gets their feathers ruffled, so you don't make anyone feel bad.  I dare say that Jesus ruffled a few feathers during His time on earth.  There were many who didn't agree with the things he taught, even to the point of feeling so threatened that they conspired to have him killed.  Jesus wasn't concerned about being popular or liked.  He had a much deeper purpose for coming here than to worry about who liked Him and who didn't.  He was here to do the Father's will and to show us the true meaning of love. 

Whenever you stand up for the truth and for what's right, you will have opposition.  I can promise you that.  Been there, done that.  It's never easy to stand up for the truth, or to defend someone else, especially if you're afraid of what others will say about you.  It takes courage and strength to stand up for what's right.  Unfortunately, there may be times when you feel like you're standing alone in doing the right thing.  As hard as it is, I try to remember that Jesus stood up for me when He took my sin and died a horrible death so I could be reconciled with the Father and live for eternity in His presence.  If He did that for me, then who am I to take the easy way out and go with the flow.

I've had quite a few opportunities where I made the decision to stand up for the truth.  It hasn't been easy to stand for truth and for what's right, and unfortunately it hasn't been without some painful sacrifices, but I know it was the right thing to do.  I would do it again if I had it to do over.

Please know my friends that no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, it does matter when you stand for what's right.  It does matter when you defend someone who may not be there to defend themselves.  Maybe you feel like it wouldn't make any difference anyway?  There are many times when we don't see the harvest of the seeds we've sown.  You may never know what a difference you made in someones life by standing up for them until you stand before the Father.  I really believe that each seed we sow will reap a harvest one way or another.  God will bless you for being a blessing to someone else.

Until next time my friends, be blessed!


"Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers.  Speak out for justice!  Stand up for the poor and destitute!" ~Proverbs 31:8-9 (MSG)

"The time is always right to do what is right." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." ~James Neil Hollingworth