Why?

Where instability is all around us, Christian believers can be secure in our Savior. In 2nd Thessalonians 3, the apostle Paul admonishes us to stand on God's principles, writing:
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

We have to make sure that we are continuing to walk in the ways which God has taught us, firmly rooted on the principles of Scripture and reflecting our dependence on the Lord. He calls us to a consistent, authentic walk that demonstrates that we know Jesus and that we are abiding in Him. Jesus taught that as we abide in Him and His Word, that we will bear fruit for the Kingdom - we should be intent on fulfilling God's plan for us. 

+++++

In the book of Joshua, chapter 1, the Lord admonishes the newly-appointed leader of Israel to be courageous and consistent, recognizing that God would go with him. We can find these words:
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Finally free.  

You might say that is the mindset of longtime ESPN anchor Sage Steele - Steele and her former employee announced a settlement in a lawsuit recently and she is now released without the threat of pushback and retaliation for violating the company's ideological mindset.

CBN.com offered this recently:

After settling a free speech dispute with Disney-owned ESPN, veteran sportscaster Sage Steele is using her platform to support and protect female sports.

Sage's case stems from comments she made on a popular podcast in 2021, where she voiced her disapproval of Disney's COVID vaccination policy. In response, the company forced Sage to apologize and took away high-profile assignments. So, she sued Disney for violating her constitutional rights.

"I have been part of empowering women in this man's world, starting with myself – as a little girl, having this dream of being a sportscaster, but on every level professionally with women – and I will never stop that," said Steele.

She posted online: "Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/DISNEY, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my First Amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter."

One area in which she has spoken out, and I would anticipate, will continue to do so has to do with biological males competing against females. The CBN article said:

"This is not new that women and men are different," Steele said. "Physiologically, men are stronger than women – that's just how it is. God made us differently, in many beautiful ways."

She went on to emphasize, "Transgender women, biological men – do not belong in competing in sports with women, period. It's actually ridiculous that we're even having this conversation in our society today."

The Washington Examiner reported on Steele's settlement, stating:

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele outlined how she was treated differently at the network than other anchors, based on politics.

Steele admitted to Megyn Kelly on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Show that she was "heartbroken" to be suspended from upcoming events. Kelly introduced Steele with a compilation of other ESPN anchors making political statements on air.

She is quoted as saying: "I think that's just what breaks my heart is that there were different rules for me than everyone else," adding, "When I lost the Rose Parade, which just was a big deal, it was on ABC, and it was — it's iconic, and it's special, I just didn't know what I was gonna do with that. I knew that mentally I had checked out and was heartbroken again at the hypocrisy of the rules. Either the rule's a rule for everybody or nobody. But you can't pick and choose, but especially if it's just one person — it's just me..."

The Red State website noted:

In an example of ESPN’s leftist slant, political pandering, and blatant hypocrisy, Kelly and Steele spoke about how ESPN personalities reacted to Florida passing the Parental Rights in Education Act. ESPN commentators said that they and the network were “allies” of the alphabet soup crowd, and then announced that the network would stay on the air but observe a “moment of silence.” A moment of silence, akin to grieving, over legislation that gave parents rights.

This week, Steele was in Tuscaloosa speaking to the Alabama football team.  The On3 website noted:

The official Alabama Football Twitter account posted some photos from Steele’s visit. One was her in conversation in Saban’s office, while the other two display her up front, speaking to the entire team. Steele has been in the broadcasting game for quite some time and should have had a good story to tell.

“What is your Why? Thank you, @sagesteele for sharing your Why with @AlabamaFTBL,” the tweet said.

Perhaps she gave a clue to how she answers that question personally in some of her recent comments. Steele's outspokenness, she believes, is a holy calling, according to The Washington Stand, which reported that she said recently: “I feel like God has put me here for a reason,” adding, “not just the way He made me, but … to get out there and have this conversation and to call out the hypocrisy, because that is what it is. And until someone has the courage to call it out on a larger platform, this will continue. And frankly, there are so many people who are afraid to speak up.”  Steele, who is biracial, apparently held to the wrong views on racial issues, stating,  You see, you’re entitled to an opinion just so long as it aligns with their views on race. That’s the problem. Even you as a biracial woman can get slammed, can get criticized, can be called all sorts of terrible things because your views on race only count if they align with theirs.” 

I think it can be instructive to determine just what our "why?" is.  Our purpose - wrapped up in our identity.  And, our identity should be who God says we are, not who the world tells us we should be.  From that flows our purpose.  So, we can ask ourselves why we're here.  God has a mission for us; He desires for us to come to know Him and to represent Him in this world.

When we realize who we are and what God intended us to be, then we can make our decisions based on His principles and His intentions.  That can sometimes lead to bold choices, to bold statements, even to bold stands. And, we can be confident that when we decide to go with Him, He will give us the courage to do what we ought to do.  Sage Steele has been known for her outspoken, principled stands on a variety of issues, which have been consistent with a Biblical worldview.  Jesus called out those who were hypocritical, and we have to make sure we relate to others from a place of authenticity and consistency.