Standing up for what we believe

Sean is in an advanced writing class this semester. Tonight, we brainstormed ideas for a children's magazine article on Jackie Robinson and the impact he had not only on sports, but on civil rights as well. I learned a lot as we read different articles trying to come up with different angles to approach the subject. Yes, he was a kick-ace baseball player (how many MLB players have a career .311 batting average?); yes, by the end of his career he was the second most popular man in America (second to Bing Crosby - man can he croon); yes, he set the stage for other colored athletes to play major league sports (how boring would the NBA be today without any of the colored players?). But, he also used his position and prominence to promote what he believed - that colored people only want the rights they should have, equality in all aspects. He was one of the leading pioneers in the civil rights movement, and that was 20+ years before Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

But what got me thinking about all this was how important it is for me to do the same with what I believe. I am in no way in a position of prominence in anything. But that doesn't mean I can't stand up for what I believe, what I know. Jackie fought on and off the field for his beliefs. I can do the same. I can promote on Facebook, on my blog, on Twitter, etc. those things which I know to be true. I can be unafraid of whatever consequences may come by standing up for my church and what we teach. There are many issues where in the past I have shied away for fear of an old friend hating or ridiculing, or people challenging me and I can't accurately respond. But that isn't what this life is about. It is about facing that fear, knowing that there are people behind you, supporting you and sustaining you. We have to tune out the negative and only listen to the postive. That is what makes it possible to get through life. Jackie had coaches and managers (along with family) supporting him his rookie year. We may feel that we do not have anyone on earth that is supporting us, but Heavenly Father is, especially when it is His work we are supporting. My goal is to be better at promoting His work and the things I know to be true. I'm no Jackie, but I can follow his example, and the example of so many others, and stand up for my beliefs.