Making Enemies

I know, I know. The title is a bit provocative. I mean, really! Who would set out in life to purposely make an enemy? After all, why would a post like this be coming from Lighthouse Christian School? But if you'll indulge me for a few minutes, I will try and make some sense of it to make a point.

The title is borne from a quote made famous by Winston Churchill many years ago. He was quoted as saying, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

A Little Background

Winston Churchill was a huge historical figure, having lived as a journalist, army officer, author, orator, politician and, most notably, as Prime Minister of Great Britain not once, but twice. Throughout his life, Churchill was never one to back down from a fight. While there were many who may have disliked his demeanor and even disagreed with his politics, he became an amazing exhorter for not only Great Britain, but as well for people from all the allied forces battling and defeating Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany.

When Churchill spoke his famous quote above about making enemies, he was able to express it from the very real experiences he had had throughout his life.

Standing Up

At the risk of sounding too cliche, I'll go ahead and state, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Not real sure who came up with that line. But I think it's as powerful an axiom as Churchill's above. Standing up for something requires belief and confidence. It's typically found after careful, passionate study of a subject and not simply listening to some talking head.

Don't be fooled into believing something just because you overheard it from someone else. There are countless millions who have believed rumors that resulted in ruined relationships, broken families and even loss of life. True wisdom is demonstrated when, after hearing something, you search it out, study and research, seek counsel from knowledgeable sources. Then, and only then, can it possibly be the time that you take your stand. But as Christians, it's always the right thing to do to verify it with what the Bible says. ALWAYS check the Word!!

Courage of Convictions

When you've checked it out and you're now ready to take that stand, just do it. Don't be easily swayed from stepping back from your convictions. Yes, like Churchill suggested, you may make enemies, but you'll have the convictions of having stood for what is right.