If you are a woodworker, it's understood that when you sand, you must do so by going in the direction of the grain of the wood, because if you don't, it will leave scratches and an uneven surface. It will rough the wood up, rather than making it smooth. But in life, sometimes going against the grain is good. It startles people, making them uncomfortable, when they are around others who aren't willing to go along with the program, in order to fit in, or to just keep the waters calm. Now we're not referring to the trouble maker who says the opposite of others just to be noticed. They disagree with the majority, not to make a difference, but only for the sport of it. What we are addressing is how those who stand their ground regarding important issues, and dare to go against the grain, make a huge difference in society when needed. How we raise our children, conduct our businesses, run our homes, and even how we vote for example. Because these are the things that affect others around us.
In Matthew 13:24-30, the Bible speaks about the wheat and the tares. This passage illustrates the existence of good and evil in the world. While the wheat is a representation of the children of God, the tares are those who belong to Satan. The tares have a prideful stance, while the wheat have a humble bow. Both of these are allowed to grow and coexist together until the harvest, when God will come again and gather the wheat, and burn the tares. Pretty ominous, right? Well, like our analogy of the wood, most people don't wish to rub others the wrong way, by making decisions that may not be what the majority approves of. They do not wish to be the wheat that goes against the grain. But isn't this what God calls us to do? He wants us to live by His laws (the Bible), and not just by our own. We believe that if we all dared to go our own way (following God's rules), rather than the way of the world (man's rules), that a lot of good would come out of this. Not just for ourselves, but for those around us. Like it or not, our actions (or inaction) always end up affecting others.We believe that this also brings about thinking outside the box, so we're more prepared to make better decisions, as we have all seen those who haven't chosen wisely and what the outcome of that is...
While there is something to be said about bonding with others to be stronger and more of a force, like in our military or paramilitary, in day to day life, it's much better to have a mind of your own, and be willing to stand in support of what you know to be right. People are known by their actions. By what they believe and whom they support. For example, you cannot believe in abortion if you claim to follow Christ. You also cannot support those who go against what is written in the bible, if you call yourself a Christian.Years ago, we belonged to a wonderful small church when we were first married. A nice congregation, but something was a bit off. Most of the attendees were not in their first marriages, which we didn't think was wrong, but took notice of. It seemed more of a social club, where anyone and everyone fit in, with no judgment passed. Now we understand that God is our judge, and we are not to judge others, but there is this thing called discernment. It seemed that while many of these people came to church, they had not implemented God's word or His rules in their lives. After a few years, we found out that the associate Pastor was pro-choice and was teaching this to the kids in his youth groups. This did not sit well with us. How could a Pastor NOT be against abortion? It was a hard decision to make, because we were married in that church by that very same Pastor, but we decided to leave. We could not fathom anyone knowing the bible, and still being “pro-choice.” We finally understood that many of the parishioners had been swayed by his beliefs that weren’t biblically based. We missed our friends, but we had to take a stand. We knew in the long run, that it was the right thing to do. We felt that our lives should emulate our beliefs, and supporting this church didn’t do that.
In order to be the wheat, we must make difficult decisions. We have to be willing to go against the grain, meaning, to not follow the crowd. The tares, will go along to get along no matter what. They know that Acceptance equals Approval from others. But God doesn't call us to do this, yet still, so many do. Why is this? We know that following the path of others can lead us to group think and that usually doesn't end up well. How else do you explain the holocaust? Germans are intelligent people, yet they bought into this genocide! A recent example is, how things that once were not acceptable, but have become so and have torn our families and our country apart! BLM, DEI, transgenderism, anti-Jewish groups, etc. This herd mentality takes hold of the weak and needy among us and in the end, it doesn't turn out well for anyone.
Pulling together with others to make a difference is different. We have seen how like-mindedness can work together for good. Many groups were formed after the COVID lock downs, to fight against what the schools were teaching our kids. While we commend these groups and love seeing their movement grow and be successful, this indoctrination has been taking place for over 65 years, and no one bothered to think outside the box or go against the grain to question it! It took an infectious virus to awaken people, who should've caught onto this years ago. Imagine if, like a few moms did, other parents questioned everything decades earlier? This indoctrination would have never gotten this far. But this is why they didn't: They weren't strong enough to go against the school's programs, or feared being labeled a heretic and because of that, become an outcast! Much to their kid's dismay, some moms DID dare to go against the grain, spoke out and questioned everything, and because of this, these kids got a better education. The kids then began to question things themselves! They went on to have their own kids and taught them at home, when it was an unpopular thing to do, and the results speak for themselves!
So if you are a Jew, or a bible reading Christian, you have probably studied the bible enough to understand that we may be getting close to God's return to gather up His wheat. We know that He does not wish to leave anyone behind, for we are His sheep, and He is our shepherd. Whether we have believed in Him and how we have lived out that belief, will determine whether we are caught up and taken to Heaven, or left behind. We should all be willing to Go Against the Grain in order to bring about good, so that evil cannot continue to take root. Be the Believers that God calls us to be, so that others will see this and wish to follow. God Bless you, Faithful Followers!
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