Christian Complacency or Persecution?

Over the past few weeks, I have had several ‘nudges’ from the Lord to tell you my WHY. My WHY is a bit of a story that has been building for many years, so this will become a blog mini-series that rolls into October. 

Around 2015, I remember meeting a beautiful young woman. Her innocence and gentle spirit enthralled me. She was a teenager from a foreign land. I am not sure why she ended up in America, but she did -- and while she was here, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. I remember interacting with her several times and admiring her courage. She was here without family and because of her acceptance of Christ, her family disowned her. She even had to change her name so they could not find her and hurt her. She was willing to risk everything (including her own safety and her family!) to live a life with Christ. 

I remember thinking, “What would I be willing to risk for Jesus?” and questioning if I had become too complacent with my faith on American soil. This also contributed to my urgency for living a life of purpose and being more intentional with my time at home, at work, and everywhere else. 

I have often remembered this young woman, and I wonder where she is and how she is doing. I know that the persecution many of us face in our daily life as Christians in America is not as bad as what she may have faced; but nevertheless, it is still persecution. I also wonder if the persecution that we see in other countries started with small things like what we have been dealing with stateside. My assumption is that communities that used to be Christian did not suddenly wake up one day to the threat of murder if they did not denounce Christ; they probably started with modest changes that Christians may have been too busy to notice. With this in mind, I was finding my place and discovering my WHY. 

What persecution have you endured as a Christian? What have you noticed that has changed over the years? I’d love to hear your story.