If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything
Alexander Hamilton was one of many others that quoted a version of this famous exhortative statement contrasting stand with fall. Others use it differently but similarly. Another one was, “those who stand for nothing fall for anything;” and “when you stand for nothing, you fall for everything.” The point being is that you should be decisive about who you are and what you stand for. If you aren’t then you are liable to fall for any good sounding argument that people promote. When you don’t know the truth it is very easy to get fooled. This is another way of interpreting the same statement that gets to the heart of what I would like to speak about.
Christ said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 KJV. Although you can take a stand firmly upon what you like or prefer that does not mean it is even remotely based upon fact or truth. Therefore if you take your stand upon truth then you are free because God is truth and truth is God. When your Maker clears you there is no other power over Him that binds you.
For example, in all things I do, I make the attempt to base it upon truth or fact. Although I am not always successful in finding either truth or fact, my attempt to do so leads me on the correct pathway. It goes to another principle of life and statement that Christ also says, “seek and you shall find.” So to go further back to the foundation of the matter my total stand is upon things that are godly. Since my desire is to please God I really don’t need to concern myself as much about if I know the complete truth or if all the facts regarding a situation are at my disposal, I simply need to only desire to please God and allow all the tools that God has at His disposal to do the rest. This does not mean that I lie down and accept anything that comes my way; hence fall for anything, but that I allow the Spirit to lead me in the ways of Godliness. I know God is perfect and I am not so my reliance is not upon my imperfection but instead upon God’s perfection.
Before I continue with my essay I want to acknowledge that when you post blogs or essays on public sites there will be people from all walks of life that might read what you post. Even though my stand ultimately is for what I believe, which is in Almighty God, I realize that others may not believe in God at all. My quarrel is not with anyone but simply to say that the stand that you take is what anchors you. It holds you firmly in a fixed place. No matter what you believe, or not, you become anchored by what you believe. Naturally, the truth is the only perfect anchor because it is the fundamental source from which life was formed. But again, if one does not believe in truth then my quarrel is not with them. They are quite free to believe in what they believe and hopefully whatever that is will either set them free or hold them anchored to what they believe.
It is not always easy to determine what the facts are or what might be only good sounding theories. People are fairly clever at mixing a measure of truth in with a concoction of lies that sounds fairly convincing. If there is no one to fact-check what you hear, or if you are unwilling to research for yourself… then you become vulnerable for anything unless you are willing to do the work. The other option that I decided was to place my faith upon another more reliable source. For me, that is in God!
I recall seeing an advertisement from a well-known Atheist who is the son of a past president who advocates freedom from religious entanglements. I have no quarrel with him and he is free to dismiss God, the belief in God, or the right to disavow anything spiritual. He appears to be doing fine in this life so good for him. If he wants to promote his stand that is up to others to determine if that is the stand that they should take as well. However, it would be prudent to know the truth and then stand firmly upon what you believe. If he determines that there is no god and he flaunts that stand then his threat is against the living God and not the believers themselves. If God chooses not to defend Himself, that is not our business, but woe to them over what’s to come after death. That’s a stand anyone is free to take and accept the consequences that may or may not come.
Most of us will probably agree about the importance of taking a stand but may disagree upon what to stand on or for. In life, it is not always clear what is right or wrong in reference to the many decisions we have to make. Some believe in abortions and some the right to life for all. Some believe in marriage equality and some want to restrict who can get married. Some want to segregate people along certain cultural, racial, gender, wealth, or other divides and some believe in total equality for all regardless of their differences. Some believe in one ideology, philosophy, or religiosity while others believe totally opposite. Where do you take your stand? Could all be equally right when they are opposite? Where you take your stand is important and even crucial…
Where is your gatekeeper? If your reliance is upon your ability to research the known facts then good for you. Take your stand upon what you truly believe in and allow the cards to fall from that point. But again, if you believe in a higher power and that is where you take your stand, then good for you… allow your cards to fall as they do naturally from that point.
Ultimately the argument is not over who is right or wrong but the right to take the stand in the first place. The son of our past president is free to take his stand even if I disagree with his philosophy because I am not to judge him. I would hope that he feels likewise that I have the right to believe strongly in a divine God even if he doesn’t. I am willing to stand by my choice and I think he does likewise. So what is the harm in allowing the cards to fall as they do from the stand that we take?
I would only add that not all decisions are easy to come by and you are not always certain that the choices you make are the correct ones. For those who believe in a higher power you are not alone in your decisions, you have a Helpmate. For those who believe in self-reliance and wise research, they will have to find their comfort level upon which they take their stand. Eventually, everyone will know the truth and the truth will set him or her free. Truth extends beyond mortal life so the cards might just fall on the other side. I will only wish everyone the best possible outcome in taking the stand they truly believe. Selah!
