Fight for Your Right to Love

By guest blogger and catechist Deanna Danielle

Fight with love.

Words can speak either life or death. Proverbs 12:18 puts it this way: “The babble of some people is like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise is healing.” The stakes are high. Our tongues can build others up while administering great comfort, or they can tear them down while igniting grievous wars.

I love to learn the meaning of words and, of course, the most powerful of all words, the Word of God. As a teacher-catechist, I write to share what I have learned and experienced with hope that it may be helpful to others. Behind every noteworthy boxer stands a great boxing coach. In addition to a balanced diet, time for adequate rest, and education, the boxer’s training is crucial to his success. These all work toward the same purpose. In an even more extraordinary and vigorous way, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity (the Holy Spirit) stands beside us—filling us with unlimited teachings, rest, recovery, and wisdom. While we train to be all that we were created to be, pray (talk with God), and study his Word (the Holy Bible), we find new strength to fight for our right to love. This all comes to us through God’s powerful grace.

Note: God created man in his own image. Although our color, mindset, and personal attributes may differ, if our skin were punctured, we would all bleed the same. It is through the Blood of Jesus Christ that we have received the greatest gift of all. Truth, sacrifice, passion, and love come through the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and give us the opportunity and privilege to become one with him and one another.

We belong to a living God. Our all-powerful and awesome God is full of love, compassion, and patience. Scripture gives us the helping hand of those who walked before us, teaching us what to look out for and how to achieve a successful outcome in any situation. Our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being is a priority in God’s Word, and he gives us his strong arm to see us through any difficulty.

These treasures from the Word of God not only educate us, but also give us the tools needed to fight more effectively:

• “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” –John 10:10
• “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” –Ephesians 6:12
• “In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” –Ephesians 6:16–18

May we be like the well-watered garden that thrives because the roots are firmly planted in God’s love. I hope the following pearl of wisdom opens your eyes and gives you the desire to fight back with “the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit”:

Satan was going out of business. All of his tools were up for sale. What an array—hatred, envy, jealousy, and pride! One tool was priced much higher and was more worn than the rest. This tool was discouragement. When asked why it was priced so much higher than the rest, Satan replied, “Because it’s more valuable to me than all the rest.”

Whether it’s personal, in our relationships, families, or world, Jesus came to save. It is not always easy. Yet, no matter how tough the battle, our God will bring us through it, and the celebration will be grand. Our God is closer than the breath we breathe and is here to pick us up, restore us, cleanse us, break us free from the chains of all deception, and bring us back into his loving arms. It’s time to fight for what is true, honorable, right, and pure. Such things should be thought about, talked about, proclaimed, and lived. Christianity is not a one-man show. God has included all of us in his divine plan!

“Turning your ear to wisdom,
inclining your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you call for intelligence,
and to understanding raise your voice.”
–Proverbs 2:2–3

For the battles we face are real. No one knows more about our situation than our God. I thank God every day that through his magnificent love and faithfulness, the punches are thrown for us.

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but all the more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Father, in the name of Jesus, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, be with us, direct our paths, fill us with the riches of your grace, transform our minds with healthy balance that is good for our bodies and souls. Guide us with your gracious love that we may press forward to being all that you created us to be. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Read more of Deanna’s blog postings here.

Image credit: Warut Chinsai/Shutterstock.com