Back the Blue

Thousands of Texans are rallying around our officers in uniform, the men and women who risk their lives to protect citizens on a daily basis. The recent incidents of hatred against police officers is astounding, like the murder of sheriff’s deputy Darren Goforth in Houston last week. While pumping gas, Goforth was shot 15 times in the back. Some may write this off as insanity, but is this insanity not more evidence of the evil at work in a depraved world? We talk about church shootings, school shootings, abortion, and acts of persecution against Christians, but are we talking enough about the harm and disrespect toward those in authority? When it comes to raising our children, we must teach them what God says about respecting those in leadership—including civil government.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Romans 13:1

While God is the ultimate authority and our allegiance belongs to Him, He has given us a clear command in Romans. What Paul writes does not have a caveat stating that this is only for non-believers. No, Paul is writing to every person—believer or not. Understanding the topic of submission is a spiritual issue; we must cast aside our pride and align our desires with those ordained by God. God desires and tells us to be subject to our governing authorities. Given the political climate we live in, there are things happening that do not coincide with our beliefs. Now, more than ever in my lifetime, the topics of respect, honor, and submission to the government are debated, especially among Christians in this nation. The important thing to remember as we teach our children that “we must ultimately obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) is that we are still to demonstrate respect for others and stand up in defense of those being persecuted.

police officer saluting

My heart goes out to the families of fallen officers and the attacks they are facing every moment—not just physical attacks, but emotional, mental, and spiritual. Sadly, the respect that once was expected for our officers in blue is no longer a given. It is a tragedy for husbands, wives, and children to lose their loved ones because of senseless rage and evil, and as believers we need to be practicing and training our children in righteousness. When we pass a police car and slow down to avoid being pulled over, what are we teaching our kids? When we get a red light ticket because we were in too much of a hurry to stop and wait, what is our reaction? Do we blame the system, or do we take personal responsibility? I believe the attitude we exhibit speaks volumes not only to our character but also to the way the future generations we are raising will respond and react to the rules established for our benefit.

This is a good time for us to do a heart check and see how we, as parents, are doing in the area of teaching our children about the sovereignty of God over all things, including civil leadership. The Bible is for each of us, and we cannot cherry pick what we do and do not like. When we expect our children to submit to us as their parents, but we ourselves are not willing to practice submission, we need to get back to the basics of practicing what we preach. Let us respect God by respecting those He has appointed. Let us show our children that the men and women dedicating their lives to protect us are heroes and worthy of honor. When we pray with our children, let us make it a point to pray for the children of all the police officers who risk so much to help this society function well. Let us back the Bible and back the blue.

For His Kingdom and His Glory,

Gabbie

Author

  • Gabbie Nolen-Fratantoni

    Gabbie Nolen-Fratantoni loves Jesus and is passionate about serving him through the arts by leading worship and writing for various ministries. She is married to Greg, her hard-working, iron-sharpening-iron spouse. They are opposite in personality but equal in dedication to their marriage and family. Gabbie and Greg are the proud and sleep-deprived parents of two active, sweet, and fun boys and one gentle, joy-filled, little girl. An Aggie and graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Gabbie is a small-town country girl trapped in the city. She loves getting to know people and encouraging them as they seek to know Jesus and make him known.

Scroll to top