No Matter What...

Many Christian Hymns are lovely and inspiring. I enjoy the ones by S.E. Samonte on you tube, the ones recorded by the Mennonite choirs. Sometimes I take time to watch the pictures and read the words, and as I do I wonder...

Most songs, especially the more modern they are, have the element of encouragement, some call for introspection--looking within before looking above. The 'martyr' hymns are different. The hymn, "Faith of Our Fathers", speaks of 'dungeon, fire, and sword', it speaks of 'chained in prison dark', and like them 'die for thee'. We often sing songs without much thought of what we are singing. In watching some of the pictures that go with other Martyr hymns I wonder...

Quite honestly, I don't really think I would choose to be chained in a dungeon, burned at the stake, or any of the various means of torture devised by wicked and evil people. And you may wonder...

Would the numbers change, or would they remain the same? The numbers of the faithful and the unfaithful...

You may wonder what do I mean by that? Well, I use the term 'I don't think I would choose..." but Satan is a master at what he does. He tempts humans to deny God. He tempts them to turn away from the Heavenly Father. I pray that if I had to 'choose' between God or something less, I would --no matter what-- I would choose to do right. Satan may 'choose' the torture--dungeon, fire, sword; or darkness dressed in modern licentiousness, fire posed in pornography, sword sheathed in lies and dishonesty...

We bemoan the sad reality of people leaving the church, or people in general turning away from religion, but no matter how sad the reality, only the 'tried and true'-- those who have been through one fire or another-- will be found faithful. And that leads me to the wonder--no matter which test we undergo, would the faithful be faithful --no matter what?