The battle goes not well . . . but the kingdom comes!

Yes, this is still Shawn Strannigan's blog. But when I woke up yesterday, the morning after the election, I felt the Lord's nudging to change the name. Mum's the Word was a cute title, He assured me, but it will no longer reflect my approach to life.

No worries--this blog will not become a political rant. I'm not nearly informed enough for that. But I pray that the fear of the Lord will trump the fear of man in all I speak and write. It's only been 24 hours since the Lord gave me that directive, but I've become acutely aware of how I'm prone to hold my tongue--and hold back truth--to avoid conflict. My silence has bought me safety . . . or so it seemed at the time. I realize now that I've been backed into a comfortable, politically correct corner with no hope of escape.

But there is a way out--the truth spoken with love. And I will not be silent anymore, whatever that means. The title of this post is taken from a beloved book I read to my girls when they were small. It's about a rag-tag band of outcasts who live in the kingdom of love, trying to rescue other lost souls from the evil Enchanter who rules the world. The outcasts would always greet each other as they went about the King's business in this manner: "How goes the battle?" one would ask. "It goes not well, but the Kingdom comes!" replied the other, emphasizing the hopeful desperation of their condition.

And hopeful desperation describes the state of my heart right now. I have hope, because the Lord God Almighty is the ruler of the universe and very much in control. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his knowledge and consent--can a president be elected without His approval? And I am desperate because, more than ever before, I sense that our time is short.

Don't you?

But don't let my blog title fool you. It's not the promotion of my grandiose pontifications on the political scene. Rather, it's a daily challenge to me to speak the truth in love as the Lord leads.