When my twenty-one year old son decided to stand up against churchly sin and hypocrisy, as a protective mother, I had a talk with him first. I asked him, "Do you realize what you are up against?
He said, "Yes."
Because of his inexperience, I doubted his answer, so I told him, "I feel strongly that you are going to open a can of worms and end up facing a giant greater than you imagine. Are you strong enough to handle this?"
His response was, "Yes, Mom, I am."
Uncertain, I asked once again, "Are you sure?"
"Yes Mom, don't worry, I can do this," he said as he tried to reassure me.
I wasn't reassured. I was worried sick for him. I knew what lay ahead. However, at the same time, I was proud of his strength and morality of character.
As time went on and the situation got worse, Matthew kept strong, even though he was left wounded, humiliated, and his reputation tattered.
However, near the end he turned to me and spoke honestly, "Mom, I would have gone insane if it wasn't for the support I received from my family."
At that moment, I went quietly into my room, closed the door, and cried. It had been much harder on him than he anticipated, but at the same time, he was much stronger than I expected.
Did Matthew accomplish anything in the earthly realm? Probably not, but he did accomplish much in the heavenly realm.
"God blesses you when people mock you
and persecute you
and lie about you
and say all sorts of evil things against you
because you are my followers."
Matthew 5:11 (NLT)
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