In my constant pursuit to be unique, I’ve bucked against (both human and divine) just because no one was ever going to tell me what to do. I was certain that I knew the best route to take in any aspect of my life.[i]
What I considered as a plus in my
own self- independent self, the Almighty considered it entirely something negative
as stated in 1 Samuel 15:23(NLV)
“To go against what
you are told is like the sin of witchcraft. Not to obey is like the sin of
worshiping false gods…” Worshipping “false
gods” in today’s society can take many different forms.
“A rebellion against God, even as believers,
is fueled by the toxic fumes of unbelief.[ii] For there is no one
so great or mighty that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him
when he resists and strives against God.[iii]
A
creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own
powers–including even his power to revolt. It is like the scent of a flower
trying to destroy the flower[iv]. Sin is not weakness, it
is a disease; it is red-handed rebellion against God and the magnitude of that
rebellion is expressed by Calvary's cross.[v]
Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to
God.[vi] Of
course, there have been those times when I’ve had to go against the norm to do
the right thing with my “rebel yell”[vii] that change must happen
no matter how uncomfortable this needed process is for me personally.
Proverbs 25:26
(ERV) gives this advice about what we should strive to be. “Good people who don’t
stand strong against evil are like springs that have been polluted or pools
that have turned dirty and muddy.” Let me restate this
verse simply as: Unless you are doing the correct thing in a situation (trust
your heart to know), your efforts will be as useless as dirty water.
“It's not wise to violate rules until you
know how to observe them[viii].
Rebellion
is obsolete; change things from the inside working out. [ix]
Have
the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing
because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with
integrity.[x] Do
the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.[xi]
Facts
matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty.”[xii]
Depending on the home environment; rebellion was interpreted in a certain way
(different for each individual).
Madonna,
the musical artist, made this comical observation about her home life. “I wouldn't have turned out the way I was if I didn't have all
those old-fashioned values to rebel against.”In my twenties, there came a time in my adult life that I had to take a hard look at the values I was brought up with (in a non-rebellious mode). When I sorted through it all, there was more that I kept then threw out. “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”[xiii]
 |
| The movie that inspired this post |
[i] “Rebel without a cause” refers to
a person who chooses not to do something according to the rules/laws, but they
have utterly no reason to (www.urbandictionary.com). The 1955 movie of the same
title stars Natalie Wood and James Dean.
[iii] Quote by John Calvin
[iv] Quote by C.S. Lewis
[vii] A “rebel
yell” was a shout (or battle cry) used by the Confederates
during the American Civil War.
[viii] Quote by T. S. Eliot
[xi] Quote by Mark Twain
[xii] Quote by Stephen
Colbert
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