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While reading about the three women that were found yesterday after ten years of captivity, I ran into a statement made by Elizabeth Smart, the advocate for sex abuse victims, who once was abducted and abused herself. She said one of the many questions people still ask her to this day is why she did not leave her captor when she had the chance.

Elizabeth responded, “I remember in school one time I had a teacher who was talking about abstinence and she said, ‘Imagine you’re a stick of gum and when you engage in sex, that’s like being chewed. And then if you do that lots of times, you’re going to be become an old piece of gum and who’s going to want you after that.’” She recounted recalling those words and feeling dirty, ashamed and discarded after all of the forced sexual encounters with her captor.

Her comment hit me like a ton of bricks. While she framed that comment within the context of sexual abuse, I believe there is a lesson to be learned about how we educate our kids regarding sex. I have heard similar teachings in the church since countless times and I consider them detrimental to a child’s heart. I am not advocating switching sides and telling our kids that sex before marriage is good and healthy and wonderful, like many in our society do. But I am issuing a wake-up call to loving Christian parents who, out of ignorance or inherited half-truths, are engaging in this type of condemnation in order to save their kids from sexual immorality. We are, inadvertently, drawing dirty pictures with our kids in them and flaunting them in the hope our kids stay away from them. How twisted is that? 

Think about it. If we tell them that sex before marriage makes them less of a person, what will convince them after marriage that they are more than the sum of their mistakes? If we say that sex before marriage alienates them from God entirely, how will they find their way back to him? If sex is dirty before marriage, what makes it wonderful in marriage? Our words and our hearts have to change to give our children the gift of hope they deserve.  

There is a way to protect our children from immorality without destroying their image of sex and themselves! As for me, I have three children to raise up in the ways of God. They are little, but one day they will be healthy teenagers with the questions and urges we all experienced. I will not wait until then to instill in them the picture of sex I wish I had been given when I was their age. I am painting it now. 

I tell them that God loves them and that no mistake can separate them from Him.

When they make mistakes, I correct them, love them and point them to the One who loves me through my own share of mistakes. 

I will tell them (in age-appropriate ways) about the physical, emotional and spiritual dangers of sex before marriage, but I will talk      disproportionately about the absolute gift that sex within marriage has been for their dad and me.

I will celebrate the joy Brian and I experienced after we waited for each other and said no to all others.

          I will share with them how we coped with the loneliness and temptations.

I will let them know, through words and actions, that it is possible to be absolutely passionate about one person and one person alone after many years of marriage.

Instead of scaring them into abstinence, I will attempt, by the grace of God, to embolden them in their pursuit of true love God can bless.

           I will paint beautiful pictures for them and give them 10,000 reasons to wait and believe for God’s best.  

Here in New Mexico it brings Mexican music, great food, celebrations everywhere and a feeling of festivity everywhere you go. When I was growing up, however, it was Spirit Day at my school. I attended Elvel School, a bilingual school in Tegucigalpa Honduras, well known for its discipline and high standard in academics. We were reprimanded if we did not walk silently and in a straight line from class to class. Our uniforms had to be perfect every single day, and if they were not, we earned a trip to Ms. Tavel’s office—and believe me, we all cringed at the thought! I still do! To say the least, this school was serious business! 

But one day a year, we would wear shorts and t-shirts, laugh all day long and run like crazy! I know it’s weird but that’s what we did. The empty lot behind the school became the site of our ‘mini-olympics.’ The staff would create a track complete with perfectly straight lines made with sawdust, along with other things like long and high jump stations. We all had to participate in all events whether we were athletes or not. We were required to have fun!

The interesting thing about this day of competitions was that there was no formal training for it. We went about our year normally until 5 de Mayo rolled around and then we ran like crazy! I remember sizing up the track every year and wanting to win more than anything else in this world. Medals were that day’s bling! I can still feel my heart pounding inside my chest as six of us heard the words, ‘On your marks, get set, go!’ I fixed my eyes on the finish line and ran my little heart out. 

Inevitably, however, about 60 feet from the finish line I felt the effects of bad conditioning. My legs felt like they were being ripped apart, my lungs like a vacuum had sucked up all the air, and my heart like it was about to call it a day! It literally felt like I was going to die on that sawdust-ridden track. But in all the years I ran the same race, the pain never stopped me. I kept running until I reached the finish line. Sometimes I finished first, sometimes third or tenth, but every time I finished that doggone race!

5 de Mayo for me now is a reminder of my ability to win the race that counts – my life! None of us is given ‘proper training’ for this life and the events that are hurled our way as we run along. I can’t say I was prepared for parenting, but I am parenting every single day. I can’t and I won’t take a breather in that race. I am being prepared as I RUN alongside my little cubs. 

Church planting is surely the last thing I prepared for in my youth. I went to Bible School to know God better. I went to college to be a teacher, but God has also called me to plant churches. I am on my second one as I write, and sometimes I feel like my lungs don’t have what it takes to keep running in the face of the financial, emotional, and physical adversity that comes with such an endeavor. There are days when it would be easy to stop altogether, but I can’t because of the thought of crossing the finish line with as many people by my side as possible. Conditioning is overrated when you can RUN.

I guess my longwinded schpiel serves only to say this—I have a race to run. You have a race to run. That race is unpredictable, sometimes heart-wrenching but every time doable! We are not racing against the Joneses. We are not even racing against ourselves! We run to finish the race and the only important thing to remember when your lungs feel like collapsing and your legs melt like jello is to keep running, jogging, walking, moving, until that second wind from on high hits us and we finish strong!

No lack of preparation or conditioning can keep us from finishing our race. Maybe you don’t feel prepared to run, but RUN anyways.

© Brian Alarid. All rights reserved. September 13, 2012

Was America founded as a Christian nation? That’s a good question. The answer might surprise you.

I believe we should always let the evidence speak for itself. The starting point for any discussion about America’s foundation must begin with our nation’s three foundational documents: the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It is significant that Christ, Christianity, and the Bible are not referred to in any of our nation’s foundational documents.

In fact, the US Constitution does not mention God at all, and only mentions religion once, prohibiting the practice of religion as a qualification for public office. The First Amendment guarantees every American the free exercise of religion—not just Christianity, but every religion. The Declaration of Independence refers to “the Creator” and “Divine Providence,” but not specifically to Christ.

Christianity has never been the official religion of the United States of America. Nor has it ever been state-sponsored like the Church of England in Great Britain. However, America does have a strong Christian heritage. Our nation was certainly shaped by Biblical values.

America was settled by the pilgrims, many of whom were Christians. They fled Europe because of religious persecution. The Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, signed on November 11, 1620, states that their voyage was “undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith.”¹

George Washington was a Christian, as were most of the signers of the Constitution. The 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 are commonly referred to as the ‘Founding Fathers’. Thirty-nine of them also signed the Declaration of Independence.

Of the 55 delegates, 52 of them were members of Christian churches. 28 were Episcopalians, 8 were Presbyterians, 7 were Congregationalists, 2 were Dutch Reformed, 2 were Methodist, 2 were Roman Catholic, 2 were Lutheran, and only 3 were professed deists—James Wilson, Hugh Williamson, and Benjamin Franklin.²

John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, was a prominent Christian who later on in life became the President of the American Bible Society. Many of America’s most prestigious colleges and universities—including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—were founded as Bible colleges to train pastors and leaders to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So what was the concern of the founding fathers with regard to religion? The framers of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights wanted to ensure that every American had the freedom to exercise religion according to the dictates of their own heart, regardless of which religion they chose to practice or not practice.

Many of America’s early settlers fled Europe because of religious persecution. They wanted to create a new nation where religious persecution would not be tolerated. Many of our founders were Christian, but they did not want to enforce Christianity upon anyone.

However, that does not mean they intended to suppress the role of religion and the church in public life. On the contrary, the church was the most celebrated and revered public institution in colonial America. References to the Bible and Jesus Christ were prevalent in public places and in legal documents, including proclamations by US Presidents and the Congress.

Although Christianity was the not the government-sponsored religion of the state, neither was America attempting to become a secular republic like France became during the French Revolution, when every reference to God and the Bible were removed from public life.

America was founded upon Biblical principles and values. Even some of the founding fathers who were deists, like Thomas Jefferson, valued the principles of the Bible and the role they played in the formation of the nation. Many of the original charters of the states implicitly seek not only to protect the freedom of religion, but to specifically promote the advancement of the Christian faith.

The first charter of the state of Virginia, granted in 1606 by King James I, states: “We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People…”³

Article 22 of the Constitution of Delaware required all officers to make the following declaration: “I, A. B., do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore, and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.”⁴

The orders of the provisional government of the state of Connecticut in 1638-1639 commenced with this declaration: “… to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus who we now profess, as also the discipline of the Churches, who according to the truth of the said gospel is now practiced amongst us.”⁵

The US Supreme Court ruled in 1892 that America was ‘a Christian nation’. “These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”⁶

The First National Thanksgiving Proclamation, signed by decree of the US Congress, November 1, 1777 states: “That it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance.” ⁷ It is clear that the majority of the early members of Congress worshipped Jesus Christ or they would never have included this statement in an official congressional decree.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States and a devout Christian made this observation: “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about…. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the tenets of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”⁸

Sadly, as a nation we have forgotten our Christian heritage and forsaken our Biblical values. Our nation has become, in many ways, a secular and godless republic. Our only hope is to remember where we have come from and what it was that once made us great.

Historical evidence clearly indicates that America was not founded as a Christian theocracy, but as a republic with Biblical values and religious freedom for people of all faiths. From its inception, America has been a Christian nation—not by decree or mandate, but in heritage, values, and practice. Christianity has always been the primary religion practiced in America. Even to this day, about 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.

Well, where do we go from here? America has a strong Christian heritage, but whether or not we continue to be a Christian nation depends on us. Will you be the light of the world? Will you model Biblical values in your personal life? Will you help your generation discover the love and grace of Jesus Christ?

I, for one, believe America’s greatest days are ahead of us, not behind us. It is my earnest prayer and hope that America will once again become a “shining city upon a hill.”

Celebrating freedom,

Brian

References:

¹      Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Mayflower Compact. Online.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact [14 March 2012].

²      The Free Republic. How Christian Were the Founders? Online. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2450022/posts [20 March 2012].

³      Justia.com, US Supreme Court Center. Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States – 143 U.S. 457 (1892). Online. http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/143/457/case.html [15 March 2012].

⁴      Ibid.

⁵      Ibid.

⁶      Ibid.

⁷      Pilgrim Hall Museum. Thanksgiving Proclamation 1777 by the Continental Congress: the first national Thanksgiving proclamation. Online. http://www.pilgrimhall.org/GivingThanks3c.htm [14 March 2012].

⁸      Catholic Education Resource Center. Is America a Christian Nation? Online. http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0040.html [20 March 2012].

© Brian Alarid. All rights reserved.  September 8, 2012

One of the major issues of our day is whether or not same-sex marriage should be legalized. For the first time in American history, a slim majority of people now favor gay marriage. And yet popular opinion has never been a good indicator of whether something is ethical or biblical. While I realize that emotions run deep on both sides of this issue, I believe it is possible to examine gay marriage in a rational and civil manner. What are the civil rights, constitutional, historical, religious, and biblical arguments for or against same-sex marriage, and what are their implications for people of faith?

Is same-sex marriage a civil right?

To answer that question, we must first come to agreement on what defines a civil right. The World English Dictionary defines civil rights as “the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US.”¹ Thus civil rights are the rights that belong to people by virtue of their status as citizens of a civil society like the United States.

The US Constitution² and the Bill of Rights³ guarantee every American certain civil rights, including the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, due process of law, and the right to bear firearms. They also protect Americans against unreasonable search and seizure, double jeopardy, and self-incrimination. Certainly, every American also has the right to vote, work, and have access to public education and health care.

The Civil Rights Acts passed by Congress in 1964 spells out the five categories which are protected against discrimination.⁴ It is against the law to discriminate against a person on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” Notice that sexual orientation is not included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In terms of their civil rights, gays are currently afforded the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The only issue being debated is whether they should have the legal right to marry.

Do same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry?

Same-sex marriage has never been a constitutional right in America. In fact, homosexuality was illegal in every state in America until 1962. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriages. Therefore, it is a stretch to suggest that the framers of our Constitution in 1776 intended for gay marriage to be one of the ‘unalienable rights’ protected by government.

Now, our Constitution is not perfect by any means. It has been necessary to amend it along our journey toward a more perfect republic where you are not judged by the color of your skin or your gender, but by the content of your character. African-Americans and women have since been guaranteed the same rights and privileges they should have had all along.

Our founding fathers were wise enough to foresee that as our nation evolved, it would be necessary to amend the Constitution, and in Article V, they spelled out the process of amending the Constitution. An amendment proposal must pass both houses of Congress with a two-thirds majority vote and then be ratified by 75% of the states.⁵ There are twenty-seven amendments to the US Constitution. The first ten, ratified in 1791, are known as the Bill of Rights. The other seventeen have been ratified over the past two centuries.

The only way to make same-sex marriage a constitutional right would be to amend the Constitution. Nonetheless, I recognize that it is likely that the US Supreme Court at some point will rule in favor of same-sex marriage, bypassing the Constitutional Amendment process. This would be a grave mistake because it undermines the authority of our Constitution, which is the bedrock of our society. The role of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution, not revise it.

Is there a historical argument for same-sex marriage?

Historically, gay marriage has been rejected by most nations, cultures, and world religions. Same-sex marriage has only been legal for about 380 years out of 6000 years of recorded human history. The first recorded gay marriages took place in the Roman Empire during the reign of Caesar Augustus (27 BC). In 342 AD, emperor Constantius II made same-sex marriage illegal.

From 342 until 2001, same-sex marriage was illegal in every nation in the world. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation in modern history to legalize gay marriage. Today there are only 11 nations that have legalized same-sex marriage: the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Argentina, Canada, and South Africa. In America, six states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriages: New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Iowa. ⁷

Is there a religious argument for same-sex marriage?

Nearly all of the world’s major world religions condemn homosexuality and gay marriage on moral grounds, including Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Mormonism, and Judaism. Buddhism’s five main tenets are called the Five Precepts. The third one is “to refrain from committing sexual misconduct.”⁸ Many have debated if this includes homosexuality, but the Dalai Lama, for one, believes that it does.⁹ Hinduism is an open religious system without a central governing body, but in a 2004 survey, the majority of Hindu swamis opposed same-sex marriage.¹⁰ It is difficult, therefore, to make a historical or religious argument in favor of same-sex marriage.

Are there any biblical grounds for same-sex marriage?

Marriage is consistently portrayed in the Bible as an exclusive, conjugal union between one man and one woman. When Jesus was asked about marriage, he pointed back to God’s original plan for marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). Jesus said in Matthew 19:5, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”¹¹ Undeniably, Jesus was stating that marriage is a relationship reserved for a man and a woman.

You can disagree with the Bible’s stance against homosexuality, but you cannot make an honest argument in favor of homosexuality from the Bible. The Bible unequivocally condemns and forbids homosexuality, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Homosexuality first appears in the Bible in Genesis 19, when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God because of their corruption and immorality, including homosexuality. Jude 7 states emphatically that Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example of the kind of eternal punishment that awaits people who commit sexual immorality.

Homosexuality is certainly not the only sin or even the worst sin, but the Bible clearly calls it a moral offense against God. What other possible conclusion can be derived from 1 Corinthians 6:10-11? “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”¹²

God created men and women to enjoy sex inside the confines of a marriage relationship. Homosexuality violates God’s plan for mankind. That is the truth of God’s Word, not an antiquated puritan concept. Romans 1:24-28 should remove any doubt as to whether or not the Bible opposes homosexuality and gay marriage. “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”¹³

Now, it is true that Jesus did not mention homosexuality specifically, but he routinely warned people to avoid sexual immorality. Homosexuality is described as an act of immorality every time it is mentioned in the Bible. So when Jesus spoke against sexual immorality, it is only logical to conclude that his listeners understood that homosexuality was included in his warnings.

Is it intolerance to oppose same-sex marriage?

Probably the biggest myth being propagated today is that opposing same-sex marriage is intolerance, bigotry, and discrimination. When did intolerance come to mean that you cannot publicly disagree with someone else’s views or lifestyle? That is not intolerance—that is freedom of speech, and it is still protected by the First Amendment.

Opposing gay marriage does not make me a bigot. A bigot is a person who is intolerant of other people’s beliefs, race or politics. Not only am I tolerant of homosexuals, I love them and value them as human beings, just as God does. Sadly, in America today, people who oppose gay marriage are being viciously attacked and maligned. Secularists are trying to force them to support a lifestyle that violates their moral conscience and religious beliefs. This is the real travesty of justice.

What should Christians’ attitude be toward homosexuals?

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus loves everyone and died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus loves gay people the same as He loves heterosexual people. Heterosexuals don’t get a free pass into heaven. Everyone gets to heaven the same way—through faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross and repentance of sin. The good news of the Gospel is that God’s grace is bigger and more powerful than our sin.

Let me be clear—there is absolutely no place for homophobia and bigotry in our society. I completely oppose and reject the homophobic attitudes that have been prevalent in the American church. That has done tremendous harm and damage. I deeply regret that gays have been mistreated in the name of Christ. Every person should be treated with love and dignity because every human life has intrinsic value. However, I still maintain the constitutional right to disagree with their lifestyle and publicly voice my disapproval, just as they have the right to disagree with me.

I believe we should love homosexuals, pray for them, share the Gospel with them, and treat them with dignity. They should not be treated as second class citizens. Mercy and I have always welcomed gays into our home and church, and tried to show them God’s unconditional love. Nonetheless, we must not confuse Jesus’ command to love everyone to mean that we must support or embrace unbiblical lifestyles. I can love homosexuals and disagree with gay marriage being legalized at the same time. These actions are not mutually exclusive.

Closing thoughts

In the 400 years since the pilgrims first landed on America’s shores, same-sex marriage has never been a civil or constitutional right protected by the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the Declaration of Independence, either explicitly or implicitly. Historically, the vast majority of nations, cultures, and world religions have rejected homosexuality and gay marriage. And they are strictly forbidden by the Bible. For these reasons and many more, I believe that same-sex marriage should not be legalized.

My sincere prayer for people who profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is that they will embrace a biblical worldview and have the courage to take a loving but firm stand for biblical morality, regardless of the consequences. We should follow Jesus’ example of uncompromisingly speaking the truth, and yet at the same time, love everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or religious persuasion.

My hope is that Americans can learn to treat each other with dignity regardless of their differences, debate the important issues in a civil manner, and disagree with one another respectfully. I know many of you reading this article will vehemently disagree with me and the millions of people who do not approve of same-sex marriage. I honor your First Amendment right to voice your opinion and disagree with me, but the real question is this—do you honor mine?

Celebrating freedom of speech,

Brian

References:

¹      Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009. Online. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civil+rights?s=t [8 September 2012].

²      National Archives.  The US Constitution. Online. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html [8 September 2012].

³      National Archives.  The Bill of Rights. Online.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html [8 September 2012].

⁴      National Archives. Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Online. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ [8 September 2012].

⁵      National Archives. The Constitution of the United States.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution/article-v.html [8 September 2012].

⁶     Govtrack.us. H.R. 3396 (104th): Defense of Marriage Act.^. Online. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/104/hr3396[8 September 2012].

⁷      Infoplease. The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline. Online. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html [8 September 2012].

⁸     Higgins, Winton. Buddhist Sexual Ethics. BuddhaNet Magazine. Online http://www.buddhanet.net/winton_s.htm. [10 September 2012].

⁹     Badpuppy Gay Today. Buddhists Agonize Over an Apparent Reversal of Non-Judgmental Attitudes; Apologists Say Leader’s Statement Applies to Heterosexuals As Well. http://badpuppy.com/gaytoday/garchive/events/051397ev.htm.  [10 September 2012].

¹⁰   Hinduism Today Magazine. Discussions on Dharma.

http://web.archive.org/web/20110726045115/http://www.faithandthecity.org/issues/social/articles/Discussions_on_Dharma%20.shtml. [10 September 2012].

11    The Holy Bible. New International Version. Matthew 19:5. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984).

12    Ibid. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

13    Ibid. Romans 1:24-28.

An article on Compassion’s Summer 2012 magazine regarding the plight of malaria in Africa read: “One mother told us, “I did not earn much money, but the little I had I was using to pay the hospital expenses either for my child or for myself. I want to thank the program for the supply of bed nets because today my money is no longer used to cure a disease that I could easily avoid.”

I love this quote because it reminds me how wise God is. We tend to solve everything with money. “If I had money,” we say, “I could pay this hospital bill; I could fix my broken car; I could, I could, I could.” But the money never comes. Could it be that God doesn’t answer our prayers in hopes that we will ask for what we really need?

This dear lady didn’t have much money, but the money she had was being eaten up by malaria month after month. After receiving a simple $3 bed from Compassion International and using it consistently at night, her fight with the disease gave way to health and more money in her pocket. Sure, before getting bed nets, having more money would have helped her go to a better hospital and receive better treatment. But month after month a miniscule insect would reduce her to a bedridden patient and drain her finances.

Enter Wisdom. The bed net, a cheap preventive measure against malaria, did more than money could ever do. It kept her and her child healthy and safe and ensured that her hard-earned money went to keeping food on the table. Today, mosquitoes can buzz around her all they want, but they can’t make her sick anymore.

This story makes me wonder how many of my prayers have not been answered because I have placed more value on money than on God’s wisdom. I recall the verse that says, “CHOOSE my instruction instead of silver, 
knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
 and nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 8:10-11). So today, I am going to revisit all those prayers for more money I have prayed and ask God for my very own ‘bed net’ of wisdom instead. How about you? Choose wisely.