What is a "Feisty"?
My small, medium, and large rebellions against ignorance, injustice, and downright evil
Things happen every day that require “Feisty’s.”
Feisty’s are my personal rebellion for justice. They defend a principle. They are the triumph of action over inaction.
They are those things that if you didn’t do them, later you would tell yourself, “I should have done that!”
Sometimes they are small, like standing your ground and not being intimidated by someone being unkind - to you or to someone else. Sometimes they are more time-consuming and call for patience, a cool head, and a good smart think before wordsmithing a response. Sometimes, they require a full-on call-out with all cylinders firing. I have done all three and then some.
I can be feisty, especially when it is in favor of God.
Feisty’s are born from the viscerality of being treated unfairly or of hearing untruths. They require that you believe your gut - your initial instinct - that something isn’t right (before you talk yourself out of it). They often push you out of comfort and into bravery. To speak. To write. Or to serve.
Feisty’s must be kind, but because they come waving a banner of truth, they are often not received very kindly. In my experience, for every feisty done right, there will be people very grateful that you did it - because no one else could or would - and perhaps more people who are not so grateful. Such is the power of a feisty.
Feisty’s must be dignified and humble. God is watching. And certainly, one must be ready to apologize if a feisty was accidentally misdirected or wielded too much feist. They are not intended to hurt feelings. They are gifts in that they tell you how to improve. No one is above a feisty, some more than others (me especially).
Some feisty’s are best left for God.
But the best feisty’s of all are the ones done in love. The ones borne out of kindness, generosity, and quiet tenderness. The secret ones that only God sees. They are feisty because they fly in the face of the norm, against your own selfish inconveniences. They revolt against the “don’t do that”’s and the “how embarrassing”’s that get in the way of doing what is right. They are the ones that tell God, I’m here to do something bigger than me because it matters. I will do it because if I don’t, it might not get done.
I believe for every righteous feisty one musters the bravery to do, God deposits some feist into your bravery bank so that the next time the need for a feisty arises, you have more bravery to spend. And with bravery comes strength, more courage, and more confidence to stand up before injustice, which makes the world better for all of us. What could be better than that? What feisty’s are needed today in your world?
