The Truth Stands Tall

Standing up for truth will always face adversity.

Standing up for what is right and not what the crowd does will not make others happy.

Being wrong in the eyes of the world is not a fun place to be.

I faced my first backlash from my book this afternoon. It was surprising and painful, and I didn’t handle it well at all. In fact I ran out of the office, called my mom, and cried in the car (like every 24 year old would do). I didn’t take it well because I wasn’t prepared for truth to be spat at. I wasn’t prepared because I lived in a fantasy world where people would want to hear my story and didn’t care if it didn’t match up with their worldview. So I got upset, emailed everyone for support, and asked God if this was really all worth it.

Is it worth pissing people off if others get to hear truth?

YES!

As I sat in my car and cried, I realized that Jesus was a hated man. I realized he wasn’t welcomed with open arms when he gave sermons and told stories. Jesus was telling people what they didn’t want to hear, and he was hated. I know that some people will  hate me for my message. Some people will hate that I stand against lies and stand for the truth that will set you free. People will not like that my message tells them that their lifestyle is living in sin. I don’t care though. Because for every 1 bad email I have received I have gotten dozens more from people who have heard truth and are blessed by God’s word. For every one person who stands against me there are ten more who stand with me and will fight for the truth to be heard. It isn’t pretty, but as Francis Chan said at Passion a few years back, “if you’re not making people mad then you’re not doing something right.”

So today the enemy came for me with his teeth bared. He came to warn me that people won’t like me for what I stand for. He came to tell me that I might have to face this with only my savior at my side. I’m ok with that though because if one live gets saved because of my story then I am happy. If one girl doesn’t sleep with her boyfriend because I bared it all then I am satisfied, and if one more teen doesn’t end up in rehab because I talked about how addictive drinking can be then my mission is accomplished. God will be glorified and Satan cannot stop that.