Strength is held in the hand of the one who sees no other way other than to see it through. The darkest is before the dawn, and the only prop is the back that holds the wall. Actions are louder than words, results speak for themselves, and leading by example is a revolutionary act in the face of an age where the plumes are of puffery; the smoke having no fire, and the words are meaningless. Pledges of allegiance, valor, honor, and integrity, all lost in translation as what would be as a timeless characteristic but rather trampled over and underfoot, not by men themselves but from the empty vows that echo as regret of 'what could have been'. Moments of man not being owned up to as their bravery eludes them; and the walls around them collapse as their dedication is not genuine from within, but rather only serves as a facade to garner the perishing praise of men.
Self-sacrifice and badges of honor only to be pinned and held high by those who legitimately build and hold each other up through thick and thin, while the boastful barely lift a finger and would not stick there neck out to save a brother's skin. Unwavering support and loyalty; a valiant effort, and a brother in arms putting on not only a brave face but the grit and resilience to truly say he serves with the best. All the while, prideful imposters fly flags and boast of stripes and decoration, however, their loyalty is tattered and their servitude never speaks for itself—never proven to stand on its own, let alone for leadership or command. Facing adversity and inspiring another to stand even in the slightest reverberates and means the world, especially when the backs of the world around is full of arrows and pushovers.
A backbone to stand for principals, and acts of defiance...so as to stand up when one is put down, and to make a stand for the downtrodden serves on a small-scale as effective incremental acts of righteous indignation, that otherwise gone without sets the large-scale eventual expectation that oppression and persecution is to be tolerated and normalized. A hand up as the world may be dim; and the consequence of such small actions possibly grim, but the reward is the actuality of truly being brave and allowing that genuine sentiment to resonate with others around. The application and putting into action preserves the character and characteristic, becoming far more than words can express, and carrying on much farther than an echo of 'I wish I would have done something'. The accumulation of such small acts creates a structural integrity and genuine foundation to which no amount of outside pressure can bring one down as their dwelling is the back against the wall itself. All the while, the hope remains and is to stay still: To be called and considered a servant of the Most High.
Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment."
Luke 6:46-48 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock."
John 15:12-14 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."
Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."