A Blast From The Rooftop or A Whisper From The Cellar?

Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand: Joel 2:1

It has been a while since I’ve written anything. To be honest, I haven’t felt at all inspired. The state of the world and the state of my mind have seemed to go hand-in-gloomy-hand. I’ve been anxious. I’ve been fearless. I’ve been worried. I’ve been at rest. I think it’s fair to say I’ve been messed up and mixed up.

Until yesterday. Yesterday, I had a moment of clarity that has remained with me throughout the day, through the night, and is still here today. It’s a simple thing, really, at the heart of the matter. I had forgotten who I was and what my purpose and mission on this earth was to be. I just needed reminding.

My pastor sent an outline to us to meditate on for a couple of weeks, since we aren’t having church because of this wretched virus. My favorite day of the week has been disrupted and hijacked by an unknown entity. But in that outline, I re-discovered my purpose, something I may never have done while sitting and listening to a sermon. I’m not sure if this is what he intended, but it’s what I got from it, and for that I am very grateful!

We Christians weren’t reborn to be passive, weak creatures. No, we were meant to be warriors. We are in a battle—a battle for our very souls and the souls of others. And we were meant to sound an alarm. We are reborn to blow the trumpet, to be watchmen and watchwomen on the fortress wall, like the sentries of old. And we need to learn how to do that again.

Some would say being a trumpet blower is harshly rebuking the wrongs of others. Some would say it’s all about love, love love, no need for rebuke. And still others say there’s no need for a loud trumpet sound at all. I suspect all of the aforementioned are true in some respects. Some people respond well to rebuke. Some respond to love. Some respond to whispers. Yet, some respond to nothing. And I fear our society won’t hear unless the trumpet blares out an ear-splitting sound. I think the Apostle Paul put it best: “I must be all things to all people, in order that I might win some.”

So how do we sound the alarm? How do we blow that trumpet so that it blasts, but doesn’t deafen. I am still working on that one myself. The warrior part of me wants to sound a “barbaric yawp”, much like Mel Gibson at the end of Braveheart. And the cry “FREEDOM” does spring to mind…Yet, the words of the Apostle Paul just will not leave me alone. Love is patient, love is kind, love keeps no record of wrongdoings. There is a time to scream from the rooftops, and there is a time to whisper from the valley. The wisdom is knowing which is which.

It is my firm belief that this is the time to speak truth. The REAL truth, not our version of it. The REAL truth is that Jesus Christ was born, crucified, rose again, and is coming back. The REAL truth is that two things leads us to repentance: Godly sorrow and the goodness of God. Without those two things, and without true knowledge of those two things, repentance will not come. No amount of trumpet blowing, screaming, love, or silence will cause true change of heart. Without the proper heart alignment, change will not happen. Ever. Yet, in the book of Joel, Chapter 2, we are commanded to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm.

I said all that to say this…We sound the alarm because we are commanded to do so. We can’t worry about the outcome. The outcome is God’s business, not ours. We only obey with love. Because those we love, we warn. Those we love, we attempt to keep from harm’s way. Those we love we temper our words with kindness and grace. But those we love we also reprimand. We reprimand in love, but we reprimand with truth. It’s our responsibility to stay in that love and be “all things to all people.”

This is short, and difficult to write. My temperament is such that I enjoy people immensely and I love approval. I am proud of the fact that I love people. I am not so proud of the fact that I love approval. I am sure some won’t like what I’ve written. I’m okay with that. I’m merely trying in my own confused way to make sense of the world and my purpose in it.

Be blessed.