#WhatReallyMatters

In the past few months, I think we have seen more tragedy than in any other time, if not in my lifetime, then certainly since 9/11. I don't have to recount them for you. You would have to be trying very hard to be completely oblivious to everything that has been happening. I've been wanting to write a good response to it since Orlando, but it's taken me a long time to collect my thoughts. Because truly...how can I respond? I mean, I'm a middle class college student whose biggest concerns should be getting good grades and finding free pizza. Yet my news feed is full of tragedy after tragedy, shootings and accidents and bombings and worse.

How can any of us truly grasp the depravity our society has sunken into? The other day, I caught myself on the verge of hopelessness, begging Jesus to come quickly because I simply couldn't see the light at the end of this darkness. And I still can't. Frankly, some of the stories I read make me want to find a hole and hide in it.

But that's no way to live. It's just a way to not die. And God calls us to more than just surviving until we die. He calls us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the hands and feet of Christ, and much more. We can't just hide from it all.

The other tendency I have is to draw a battle line. "These are the good guys" and "those are the bad guys." But when we draw a line between one group and another, we also draw that line between love and hate. You can disagree with someone and still love them. You can't pit yourself against them and love them.

So when I see all those posts about whose side somebody is on or who they dislike or whatever, it just breaks my heart further. I don't care what side you're on politically or what hashtag you associate with. My human opinion cares, but none of that matters. Like it or not, you and I are still neighbors, and Jesus said the second commandment--guys...the second most important thing we can do in our entire lives besides loving God--is to love our neighbors.

And even if you choose to make me your enemy, guess what. I still have to love you because Jesus said to love my enemies too!

And taking up arms against the people you disagree with does no good, because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (or hashtags) but against the forces of evil that we can't see or touch.

There is so much more that I could say on this topic, and I hope to write more soon, but for right now, ask God to help change your mindset from one that sees enemies to one that sees lost souls in need of a Savior. The world doesn't need more of your opinion, your politics, your candidate, your laws, or your hashtags.

It needs to see Christ's love.

And that is what matters.

God Bless America

God Bless America!

Right?

Before I get into this, I want to get one thing out of the way. It's going to be hard to hear, but most of you probably already know this:

America is NOT God's chosen nation.

That said, I believe we should pray that God will bless America (or whatever nation you live in. Most of this post will relate to any nation on earth). But we shouldn't pray that because America is something great that deserves God's blessing. We should pray as Abraham did for Sodom,

"Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?...Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:23,25)

Humanity is corrupt. Let's face it: there is no nation on earth that deserves God's favor. He would be justified in wiping us all out. But there are a few of us (well, more than a few) who have been bought with Christ's blood. And for that (and the promise He made to Noah), He spares the world. For the lost who will yet be found, He spares the world. For the prayers of the righteous, He spares the world.

So asking God to bless America exclusively and only because "In God We Trust" is printed on the money that we actually value more than God is a little ignorant. Especially if we refuse to actually do anything about the corruption in our land.

What can we do to bring our nation closer to God?

First, we can pray.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

 Friends, if Christians (forget everyone else for now) prayed fervently to God for their nation's healing, God will hear and He will heal. That alone is something you can do easily. Pray alone. Gather brothers and sisters to pray. They will not go unanswered.

Second, you can reach out to your neighbor. Spread the Gospel wherever you go, and strive to leave each life you touch better than it was before. (I know these are hefty responsibilities, but I can't go into how those are done in this post).

Third, exercise your rights and privileges as citizens. In America, we can contact our representatives and senators about issues that are important to us. We can petition peacefully. And we can vote.

Voting is an interesting (and sometimes touchy) topic. I don't want to get too political, but this is important.

Very often, we find ourselves bemoaning the state of the country, be it in regards to taxes or moral values or just in general. While this is understandable, there are measures we can take to make some of those things better: electing leaders to represent our interests. But we can't get good leaders into office unless we vote for them.

If you are over 18, you have no excuse (if you're not 18 yet, hang in there. It won't be long). Get out to the polls and vote. Don't vote by party: research each candidate to see which one best represents your values.

Notice that I said best represents. I did NOT say, "the one who represents every single thing you believe in perfectly and at all times." You won't find one...unless you run for office. Sometimes we are forced to choose between two bad things. But, as my dad says, if you get to pick who is going to hit you with a stick, at least you can pick the one that's not going to hit you as hard.

This may seem like a small thing, but in a nation where we have the freedom to choose our leaders, we should take every advantage of this. It doesn't matter if you disagree with a few of a candidate's beliefs; better to vote for a candidate who doesn't suit you perfectly than to not vote and allow a candidate brashly opposed to God's values to win.

In case this sounds too political and not spiritual enough, here's the Word of God on the subject:

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)

 If we can keep the desperately wicked out of the White House, we will have done our part in being stewards of the nation God has made us citizen of.

At the end of the day, however, none of the candidates will succeed in "fixing" everything. Only God can do that.

Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God (Psalm 146:3-5)

Our human, sinful leaders will fail us. And it's going to look bad. But God has given us peace in knowing that He is in control. We can take comfort in that.

But as long as we have the power to make a difference, then let us do so...united as God's chosen people. Then--and only then--can God truly bless America.