Fallout

Even in our times of trial, we can be faithful to stand strong in the Lord, knowing He will give us strength and direction. Colossians chapter 4 states:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

Paul was a man who showed tremendous grace in difficulty.  He referred to his "chains" and the imprisonment that he was enduring for his faith.  We are reminded of the presence of opposition in the life of a child of God who is attempting to live a godly life.   But, we can be confident that God has not left us alone - He is with us in our times of trial, giving us strength and hope, empowering us to endure and to bring glory to His name.  

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Even though he was imprisoned, Paul was speaking the truth and circulating the message of the gospel, writing the words which continue to teach us today. As he concluded his inventory of the pieces of our spiritual armor, he wrote this in Ephesians 6:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

A few months ago, the resolution of a bizarre custody case from long ago occurred.  It had to do with a woman who was in a lesbian affair - this woman, Lisa Miller, because gay people cannot procreate, carried a child to term.  When the affair broke off, a custody battle ensued. WORLD Magazine reported earlier this year:

Lisa Miller entered a civil union with Janet Jenkins in 2000 in Vermont. In 2002, after the couple agreed to use in vitro fertilization to have a child, Miller gave birth to Isabella. The next year, Miller and Jenkins separated, then officially dissolved their civil union in 2004. Miller professed to be a Christian and renounced her lesbian lifestyle. She and Isabella settled down in Lynchburg, Va., where they attended Thomas Road Baptist Church. Miller also began blocking Jenkins’ court-ordered visits with Isabella.

That kicked off a court battle between Miller and Jenkins. Initially, a court in Virginia—where same-sex marriage was not legal at the time—ruled that Miller did not have to allow the visits. But the Virginia Supreme Court later ruled that Vermont had jurisdiction over the case.

Miller, because of her Christian faith, did not believe that the visits were a good influence on Isabella, but was "pressured" by a court in Vermont to continue to allow the visits; she refused.  When the judge in the case threatened to give Jenkins full custody over Isabella, Lisa Miller fled the country.

Isabella is now 18, and her mother in February pled guilty to a charge of parental kidnapping, according to the Burlington Free Press, in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that Jenkins reportedly agreed to.  The article notes that:

Authorities said a network of supporters — many of them members of a conservative Christian church — helped Miller flee to Canada by way of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York. They then drove her to Toronto for a flight to Nicaragua, where Miller and her daughter are believed to have stayed for several years.

People have already gone to prison in the case because of their aid to Lisa Miller: Kenneth Miller (no relation), a Mennonite pastor from Virginia, and Philip Zodhiates, a Virginia businessman.

Zodhiates' story hit The Stream website recently.  He is now out of prison.  He believes that he was doing the right thing in providing assistance to Lisa Miller. The article states: "Philip said Miller had 'every right' to remove her child from the country because she believed her daughter was being sexually abused. He did not hesitate to drive the pair to New York." The article says that:

When Philip realized he was going to prison — a 36 month sentence — he believed that serving time in prison for doing the right thing was his calling. The book of Job helped him to understand the idea of persecution better. “When we face persecution as Christians — which we will all face persecution — we either draw closer to the Lord or we tend to walk away from the Lord.”

The article goes on to relate:

...because of his story, many men in prison gave their lives to the Lord. “I’m not saying it wasn’t hard. but I saw so many men come to know the Lord through the testimony of my life and what I was. … [T]he Lord puts us in certain circumstances where we can shine. During COVID when we were locked down and we weren’t allowed to leave our unit, we started a little church.” Fifteen men packed into Philip’s 7′ x 9′ cell, even though they weren’t supposed to congregate together because of COVID. The guards looked the other way. “It was a … cell block of 102 men maximum. And so approximately 10% of it were worshiping the Lord every night. Did this every night for a year.”

You could consider questions of civil disobedience here, recognizing there is a high standard when you are dealing with breaking the law.  

This is the fallout of "liberalizing" laws on marriage.  When the state endorses deviancy through the concept of "same-sex marriage," and in this case, a legal "civil union," it opens the doors for chaos.  Consider the elements here: since lesbians or homosexuals cannot produce children, they have to look elsewhere.  Lisa Miller, after professing her faith and coming out of the homosexual lifestyle, recognized her daughter faced the exposure to sexual immorality and wanted to protect her. This rationale is consistent with the desire of adoption agencies to not place children in homes that are headed by same-sex couples.  

If you allow same-sex marriage, then there will be cases of "same-sex divorce."  Then, you consider custody arrangements.  The burden on the court system to make decisions in these kinds of cases will only increase, it seems.

Lisa Miller had a noble cause - which doesn't mean that she had to break the law to pursue it. Now, she will pay the consequences.  But, then, her daughter was not subjected to being raised partially in the home of her mother's former lesbian lover who still practiced the lifestyle.  

One could say that Miller and those who assisted her were unjustly imprisoned, but that is certainly a topic that can be debated. Certainly, that's what Philip Zodhiates believes. He says: "I actually learned that it’s a blessing to go through what I went through. You know, looking back, in hindsight, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

We know that there are instances of "prison ministry" that occurred in the Bible.  Remember how God worked through the life of Joseph, who was unjustly imprisoned, whom God used to assist in leading a nation through a massive famine.  Paul and Silas were imprisoned and sang praises to God, leading to the conversion of the jailer and his family.  

Again, my purpose isn't to debate the correctness of Lisa Miller's actions.  But, when we face times in which it may seem that we are imprisoned, locked in a trial period, we can certainly turn to the Lord.  In those negative, challenging circumstances, we can be open to what God wants to do with us wherever we are.