Like so many of you, I am grieving for the nation I love. America has been a beacon of hope on planet Earth. Immigrants have come to America with dreams of peace, prosperity, and endless possibilities. After all, America has been the “land of the free and the home of the brave”. God has surely given massive amounts of blessing and protection to us.
In the last few years, I have seen a huge change in America; actually, the change has been in Americans. We, the people, have changed. We have enjoyed the blessings of this nation while we forget we are truly blessed. We, the people, have either actively, or passively, allowed people to disrespect the respectable things, like our military, law enforcement, our flag, and our anthem. We have forgotten the privileges and opportunities our nation has blessed us with. Many of you are like me- you see it too. Most of us are baffled at the anger and the lack of reasoning behind recent events. Obviously, people are angry, hurt, frustrated and hopeless.
So, what is wrong with America and it’s people? The heart of the problem is explained in the word of God. We have allowed God to be removed from the things that has made our nation great. We have allowed the enemy to attack the foundation of faith in America. For example, as a nation, we removed prayer from schools and public events. We have legalized killing unborn children. We have removed the Ten Commandments, mocked the beliefs of Christians, attacked religious freedom and beliefs, and allowed the God of this nation to be mocked. Then, we expect God’s blessings to continue?
When we try to be a nation without God, we lose our real love. 1 John 4:7-8 teaches us, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” To be blunt, real love cannot exist outside of God. Love comes from God and He is love. When you remove God from a nation, love is absent. The loss of love is all around us- murder, hatred, lack of respect, fear, anxiety, depression, loneliness, anger, and a plethora of other love-less acts all around us.
Another issue we face is that we have become a “jump to conclusions” society. We are spoon fed “truth”, then we re-act out of emotion instead of facts. Anytime I hear of a death, my heart hurts. Every time someone dies, a mother lost her child, a father is grieving, friends are devastated and God Himself feels it. See, every single human being has been uniquely fashioned by the hands of the Creator of the universe. Those fingerprints will never be created again; that DNA will never be spun into existence. When someone dies during a crime, we are quick to blame somebody. The media LOVES to play on emotions. When a story first breaks, rarely are the facts known. We have become a people that “act first, think later.” The problem is, our initial reaction is normally anger, frustration, confusion, and outrage. NO ONE makes good decisions when these emotions drive our behavior. To be completely honest, I feel all of those feelings right now. So, why am I writing a blog instead of destroying things? Because God tells me to act from the position of trust in Him. He commands me in Matthew 5: 43-45, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven”. Do I “feel” like doing this? Um, no. Do I do it anyway? Yes, because the God in me is greater than my desires and feelings.
Lastly, I feel as Christians, we have become lazy ( sorry brothers and sisters…). We have become complacent and not made our voices heard. We are not involved in loving the hurting, being light in the darkness, risking our reputation by speaking up for the truth, and radically loving the unlovable around us. We are not involved in the political process. We are not praying for the hurting, the lost, and our leaders. We aren’t acting that different from those that don’t know the goodness of our God. We need to get it together and BE THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. Americans are hurting and we all need Jesus.
I still have a great deal of hope for America and for Americans. I don’t recognize my nation anymore, but I believe God is bigger than what I see. I pray God will hear the prayerful, repentant cries of Christians, showing love, while seeking justice, and walking humbly with our God.
Courtnay Aycock