April 12 - Anonymous
For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized (1 COR 11:19).
As we are obligated to exposit the truth from the word of God, there are many who believe in external tradition, as a "product of God." People who know Christ, as I consider myself one who does, often find myself appeasing these traditions to maintain peace, or it's simply "nice" to participate, and what harm can possibly come from it? For example, the Easter bunny, has nothing to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor does Santa have anything to with the birth of Jesus Christ (as some already know).
Nevertheless, when I attempt to explain these truths, it often consumes me in how to be gentle, honest, humble and "not too harsh" in exposing the truth, without making people feel guilty or uncomfortable. "Because it's nice" and we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
This brings me to my God moment of where has "nice" brought our society to? Starting with Santa, kids are actually lied to by their parents up until the age of 5-6, and then feel "chumped" by fibbing parents when their friends call them an idiot and say your Mom is lying to you, Santa isn't real. And now let's talk about the Easter bunny, parents come up with many different stories for that holiday. Brought up in a Catholic background, there are as many stories about the Easter bunny as things that the Catholic church has added to the Bible (made up by Man), and not guided by the Holy Spirit. So, I realized that opening my mouth at the dinner table saying, "The Easter Bunny has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, actually works. Everyone goes silent for a moment, and then goes on chattering. The same goes for Halloween, as we wonder why we are in a fight for our children's moral spirituality, our schools are engaging in demonism & horrific transgenderism and destroying their bodies, with some teachers' and guidance counselors' assistance. 35 years ago, the gay and trans-sexual parade in NY city was "nice" and families actually went to see the spectacle and freak show, & now it is in our schools teaching 5-7-year-olds, no exaggeration!
40 years ago, "Life did not begin at conception" it's just a blob of mucus, right? It's not a baby, the "science said so! (Conception wars of the 1970's) Today, the state of NJ alone aborts about 23k babies per year (& large percentages of women deeply regret that decision later in life).
As a follower of Christ, I realize the Holy Spirit has seriously had my back on these instances of now, enlightening people, resulting in multiple "God moments." I also pray the Holy Spirit will again have my back as I gently speak of the truth at the "Family Easter Dinner Table" next week.
I'll tell parents to tell others not to abort a baby, no matter the circumstance. And telling kids this coming Christmas, Santa is a fairy tale, and Jesus Christ is not. Since we are obligated by the word of God to say these things to our families, I pray for myself, and others in this position to speak the truth with a humble mindset, which I hope will open the door to God's wisdom. Because, God will be watching every move I & we make with our tongue to others at this Great upcoming feast of Easter & may God guide us and bless us all this upcoming holiday!