DEVOTION - Standing in a sea of negativity.

Image credit: http://www.a2church.org

I read a quote years ago by Goi Nasu that read, ‘An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.’ It is a quote that I love for it’s simple truth; negativity will only impact us if we allow it.

We live in a world that can be very negative and depressing. You just need to watch  TV to see that. But the TV isn’t the only thing that can be depressing and negative. If we stop and look around I am sure we will all be able to name someone that is at the best of times negative and depressing. We can all find ourselves in environments that are full of naysayers and people that want to point out all that is wrong with the world. Or people that want to point out what they think is wrong with you. In my past life I worked for a secular organisation that held very secular views. In fact, my faith was at times mocked and I was made to feel like I was naive  and silly for believing in Jesus. There was a very negative view of Christianity and Christians and it affected me in ways I didn’t realise it could.

I remember reaching a point where I felt myself starting to compromise in some areas and realised that my environment was starting to change me, and not for the better. There was a negative attitude and perception of ‘religious people’ and it had started to influence me. The negativity had gotten inside the ship, so to speak. This realisation not only devastated me but was also the catalyst for change as it was in that moment that I realised that I was the only one that could control what influenced me. That was the moment that I understood, really understood, what Proverbs 4:23 meant. I understood what it meant to ‘guard your heart’ because I had seen just how much had infiltrated my heart and changed me from the inside out. My actions and words weren't reflecting Jesus in any way and I knew that I was walking a fine line. In that moment, I decided that I would no longer let my environment shift but that I would instead shift my environment. I was going to change the climate around me and not let the climate change me, so through a lot of daily praying and pleading for God to help me, I walked into work and tried to shift my surroundings by living out my faith.

It was hard going. There were days when I questioned whether or not it was worth it and whether I should just leave, but God kept all doors firmly shut, so I stayed where I was. I draw a line in the sand on certain things and I said no to things.  No longer bowed down to social pressure and expectations but set my own. Again, it was hard going but eventually, I stared to notice things. Little things, such as people refraining from swearing around me (I don’t get offended by language by there are some words I draw a line with). People stopped sending me certain jokes and memes. A couple of people asked me to pray for them. People could clearly see the line I had drawn in the sand and they respected it not because they agreed with it, but because I extended grace while I stood for my convictions. I showed love but also stood my ground. I refused to conform to the expectations of  everyone and instead kept my eyes fixed on Jesus. I even left behind my bible when I resigned in the hopes that someone would pick it up and read it.

Living out your faith can be hard when you are surrounded by people that want nothing more than to tell you that what you believe is wrong. It is getting harder for Christian’s to voice their opinion, whether it be vocally or through writing. But what better time than now to stand our ground and be change makers? What better time than now, when the world around us is in such chaos, to influence those around us by using our pens (or keyboards) to show the love of God? To show the world how gracious and loving God is by extending the same grace and love through our actions and the writing we put out into the world.

At the end of the day, are we not called for such a time as this?

Leila (Lays) Halawe is a Sydney based coffee loving nonfiction writer and blogger. She has published a short devotional, Love By Devotion, and shares her views on life and faith via her blog page Looking In. You can connect with her via Facebook at Leila Halawe Author and via Twitter at Leila Halawe.

Book Review ~ For Such A Time, Kate Breslin

By Dorothy Adamek

For Such A Time ~ In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy.

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?

*****

Reading a book inspired by a story I already know and love, (the biblical account of Esther) meant I had a fair idea how For Such A Time would unfold. But Kate Breslin’s debut novel kept me reading to the last chapter with more than a couple of unexpected twists and turns to render this a most unique re-telling of the well known Esther story.

Any story set in WWII concentration camps requires the reader to take on what we've come to expect from quality historical fiction ~ harrowing accounts of life in desperate times...and then some. Thankfully for my reading preferences, For Such A Time included a generous dose of romance with the right amount of heartbreaking suspense one would expect from a war-time drama.

I particularly enjoyed secondary characters Uncle Morty and young houseboy, Joseph, and predictably cheered when the bad guys were outsmarted by the good guys.

But what kept me reading was the relationship between our protagonists, Stella, and the man who saved her from the firing squad, Aric von Schmidt. Kate Breslin wrote Aric’s struggle between what he knew to be right and true, versus Nazi Party ideology extremely well and I enjoyed how she unpacked the internal conflict of this very German character.

I found some of the scenes at the end fast paced and close to unbelievable, but then the best war stories usually are tales of remarkable survival and incomprehensible bravery and sacrifice.  

If you’re a fan of WWII settings, and/or stories based on Biblical events, you will enjoy For Such A Time. Each chapter begins with a scripture verse from the book of Esther which made the connection between Breslin’s fictional account and what we know from the Bible, easy to match.

I highly recommended For Such A Time by Kate Breslin.

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three gorgeous kids. 

She's the winner of the 2013 FHL ~ Touched By Love Competition, and the 2104 Inspirational Category Winner of the TARA Writing Contest. 

Enamoured by all things 19th century, she writes The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, Historical Romance - Aussie style. Come say G'day at her blog, Ink Dots.