FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Dear Caleb,
I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately. As you draw closer to your 12th birthday and approach manhood, I’ve thought a lot about the type of world you’re having to step into.
You will soon have to navigate a culture where there is so much anger, hatred and social conflict. I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to stop growing for a while, and continue your development only when this is all over.
I mean, you have to worry about COVID-19, huge amounts of social unrest in our country, massive unemployment and economic instability everywhere.
People are asking you whether you want to consider yourself a boy or a girl. And if you try to behave like a gentleman and open the door for a woman or give her your seat, you might be insulted and accused of sexual discrimination.
You’ve heard the expression, “Stop the world, I wanna get off!” I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the way you feel right now!
So I’m writing you this letter to encourage you, and to urge you not to be afraid.
Remember that the same God that has been with your parents and grandparents is also with you.
He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is more than capable of helping you to navigate these rough waters, and to get you to the other side safely and joyfully. Remember God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Allow me to offer some advice for the life you have ahead. I believe these principles will work not only for you, but for everyone who puts them into practice. They are useful especially for the times that we are living in.
These truths are timeless, Caleb. They are valid for every occasion and every generation. They are applicable whether you’re black or white, male or female, young or old.
They embody God’s Word, and as such they are powerful to the point of being invincible and irresistible.
Put them into practice, and no matter what obstacles you find in your way, you will plow right through them and emerge stronger than ever from any trial and any battle that you fight.
First of all, let me encourage you to cultivate intimate friendship with God. If God is on your side, ultimately you don’t need anybody else to fight on your behalf.
This doesn’t mean that you should isolate yourself or not seek others. It simply means that you shouldn’t see people, government or social programs as your main resource for life. God is your advocate, and he alone holds your life in His hands.
People are merely instruments that God will use to bless you, and to open doors for you. If God is with you, even those that don’t want to help you will find themselves working on your behalf. That’s just the way it is for those who make sure that God is on their side.
Or, let me put it another way: always make sure that you are on God’s side. If you are on God’s side, nothing can hold you back. You are invincible. Therefore, love and honor God above everything else, and let the rest take care of itself.
3) Proverbs 16:7 says that “when a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
If God approves of the way you walk in life, and your heart pleases him, this will save you a lot of time and effort. You will arrive without being twisted or worn out.
On the contrary, every challenge and every obstacle that you meet on the way will simply make you stronger and wiser.
Always remember that “to those who love God all things work for good.” Even the evil you encounter in life will end up making you more attractive, and enable you to be a blessing to others.
Always put God first in your life, my son. Honor Him above everything else. This will put you at the front of the line, no matter what or who may be against you.
Remember Daniel and his friends. When they risked criticism and failure in order to honor God, they ended up receiving both spiritual and practical wisdom. God prospered them and gave them favor with authority.
Another principle: Don’t depend on people, connections or social programs to advance your situation. Let God and your own competency get you where you need to be.
Remember the words of Psalms 121:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
If your help comes from the Lord and not from man, then you must focus your efforts on attracting His support for any project or aspiration that you hold.
If you depend on man’s help for the needs in your life you will always be disappointed.
On the other hand, if you put your trust in the Lord, honor him and let him know your needs insistently and ahead of time, you will always prosper in life, and things will go well for you.
But don’t forget to do your part, and to work hard, as if things depended on you alone. God will use your personal efforts to bless you, and to build your faith and self-esteem.
He wants you to grow strong and self confident by working through your efforts and showing you that you can do all things in Christ who strengthens you. He will prosper your hard work, even when others may oppose you and try to put obstacles in your way.
Always assume that you are highly favored, and that God’s plans for you are good.
Cultivate optimism and expect opportunities to open up before you unexpectedly and unsought.
When God is on your side he will manage your career. He will become your personal agent and constantly send opportunities your way.
Expect to be continually surprised and delighted by doors that will open up for you in ways you never expected or planned.
As a matter of fact, if your heart pleases God, most of the opportunities that will come your way will not have been sought or created by you. They will simply show up in your path. I have experienced this over and over in my life, and by now I simply expect things to happen that way.
Cultivate this habit of expecting goodness to explode all around you. Adopt the self-image of a highly favored son.
As this positive self-image becomes magnetic and begins to attract wonderful things all around you, turn that experience into an attitude of optimism and grace toward others.
By the way, make sure that you always be on the lookout for the goodness in others, especially those that you meet for the first time.
If you learn to connect quickly with the good that lies within every human being, it will be much easier to like them. And if they sense that you like them, they in turn will lower their guard and invite you into their intimacy.
They will return the favor by opening doors for you. They may even seek your wisdom and invite you to exercise authority over them. It will not matter whether you are ethnically or socially different from them. They will connect with the goodness and the greatness within you, and will not mind submitting themselves to your excellence.
While I’m on the subject of ethnic and social differences, let me remind you that you are a Latino living in the South.
Southern culture will sooner or later present you with a challenge. As a Latino, there will be invisible barriers and complexities that you will have to navigate.
You may not be aware of it now, but you carry within you the sensibilities of your Hispanic ancestors. Your Latin sensibility may not fit well at times with that of your southern friends.
You may have to overcome negative stereotypes. Your intense spiritual upbringing will also come into conflict with the superficial, cultural Christianity of many around you.
Don’t let this stop you or discourage you. It may simply mean that you will have to work a little harder to find good friendships. The extra effort will make you stronger and more sensitive.
With God‘s wisdom, you will be able to use these subtle obstacles to your advantage. Hopefully, you will learn to stand your ground, to become more independent, to lose the fear of being alone, and to become more sympathetic toward those who find themselves lonely or isolated.
As a Latino in an alien culture, you may often start off at a slight disadvantage. In the beginning, you may have to work a little harder in order to get the same results. You may have to become better than most in order to achieve the same level of success.
Don’t be discouraged or offended by this. Minorities and new arrivals have always been discriminated and opposed.
But with humility and hard work, and especially with God’s favor on their side, they often overcome these obstacles, and are able to experience success and prosperity.
Even as you become aware of discrimination and unfair treatment, never make excuses for yourself. Hold yourself to high standards.
Don’t blame others for your defects or inconsistencies.
Cultivate an ethic of excellence and hard work. If you make a mistake admit it.
Learn from other individuals and cultures, even those that you don’t like.
Imitate the good, even if you find it in your enemies.
Don’t let resentment blind you to valid criticism. Accept truth even when it’s irritating.
If you fail, try and try again. Persistence will always win the day.
If you find yourself being lazy or following the line of least resistance, admit it immediately, and correct your behavior.
While we’re on the subject of injustices, please remember this: It’s often a good thing not to be too sensitive to offenses.
Better to overlook the pettiness and jealousy of others, especially when it is motivated by racism or insecurity.
Try to keep an innocent heart. It doesn’t mean that you will be naïve or ignorant of evil. It simply means that you will be determined to keep yourself clean inside.
It means that you will allow God to fight for you and to defend you, instead of feeling that you have to fight all the battles yourself, and to always be on the lookout to defend your own interests.
If you keep yourself clean inside by not becoming too aware of the evil in the world, this will allow you to stay childlike and lighthearted.
Even as you become wiser, heavier and more serious with time, you will retain a lightness of being that will enable you to laugh easily, and that will make you more magnetic and attractive to those around you.
This next principle may sound like a contradiction of what I just said, but always assume that human beings are sinful, and factor it in in all your relationships and dealings.
Just don’t take this fact too seriously or allow it to offend you too much. Remember that we are all sinful, fallen human beings.
That includes you, my dear Caleb. You are also sinful and are part of the problem!
And that is precisely why you need to be tolerant and forgiving of the sinful ways of others, even when it affects you negatively.
Therefore, forgive often. Make forgiveness a governing principle of your life. Keep a clean mental ledger, and don’t keep grudges for too long. \
Write off your losses often, and don’t waste precious time remembering those who owe you.
The Bible says to not let the sun set on your anger. That’s great advice for a life of joy and blessing.
If resentment stays too long inside your psyche, it will contaminate your entire being.
It will distort the way you see life and the people around you.
It will affect your immune system and make you sensitive to physical, spiritual and emotional contamination. It will open you to demonic attack and rob you of many blessings from God.
If you don’t forgive others, God will not forgive you either. So forgive for your own benefit, and don’t worry about letting people off the hook.
The Lord says that vengeance is his. That department is his property. “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. So don’t worry about procuring vengeance for yourself when you’ve been unjustly treated.
Before I finish, let me share two more important principles with you.
Always respect authority. Only those who respect authority can properly exercise authority. A rebellious heart is totally offensive to God.
Learn to take delight in submitting to authority. There’s a huge difference between being subservient and being submitted.
When you submit to the authorities established by God you honor yourself. When you resist legitimate authority you demean yourself and place yourself at a disadvantage in life.
People who don’t submit to authority will go from failure to failure. Instead of honor and pride, they will reap dishonor and humiliation.
If you learn to submit to authority, God will lift you up and put you in places of authority.
I know I’ve said a lot, my dear Caleb. I will summarize it this way: Always put goodness upfront. Don’t be too concerned about the evil in this world.
Let the goodness inside you overwhelm the evil that surrounds you.
If you center yourself on the power of God and the goodness of his Kingdom you will be invincible. Even if you are persecuted you will never be abandoned.
Jesus has told us to never be afraid of those who can kill the body but who cannot kill the spirit. If you live like a citizen of the kingdom of God, the laws of God‘s kingdom will protect you wherever you go.
And even if you die, you will still conquer the world. Suffering for God’s kingdom is not such a bad thing. If you do, you will only be imitating the greatest person who ever lived, and you will overcome just like he did.
God bless you, Caleb. Don’t be afraid of the world you’ve entered into. You have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Your generation may see the coming of the King. I couldn’t think of a greater honor!
13)Be gracious and generous to others. Overlook honest mistakes. Don’t seek to answer every offense, even when they might be intentional.