STICK IT TO THE MAN

a man in indiana recently was so outraged at his property tax bill that he decided to protest the bill by paying all $12,656.07 in change and one-dollar bills. this man is definitely passionate about his cause. he obviously wanted to be heard and attention pointed his way. my question is whether or not this was the most effective means.

see check this out...man brings in large amount...no, very large amount of change to stick it to the man, only the man is not there. all three cashiers spend 75 minutes counting out the cash. stick it to the man. the cashiers had to work overtime to count the money, so sherrif's deputies had to stay on guard late. stick it to the man. due to the delay, the office was unable to make their deposit at the bank, costing the county $1,135.90 in interest that would have accrued over night. stick it to the man.

often, our convictions can be good and necessary things. however, in this case people were suffering at the hands of one man's conviction who had absolutely nothing to do with setting the tax assessments. as Christ-followers we have been charged with living a life of conviction. we are to stand for what is right and hold on to what is good. often, our "protests" come at the expense of the wrong people. we refuse to be taken advantage of, so we lash out at the sales associate who is simply doing his job by upholding the policy. he didn't make the policy. we fuss at the waiter because the food isn't cooked correctly. she didn't make the food. these can be silly examples, but what about when your conviction about homosexuality causes you to to damage another person's soul? what about when your conviction against alcohol keeps you isolated in your home because you saw your neighbor holding a beer can in the driveway? convictions are good. we need to stand for what is right and hold on to what is good, but when we stick it to the man, make sure we are sticking it to the man. "the man" is not the homosexual, the alcoholic or the town gossip.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. " Eph. 6:12