Let’s bring it home, folks
Should we throw in the towel? Wave a white flag in surrender? Tell all the bullies in the world, “You win, I give!” I never in my wildest dreams thought that after the jarring events of early 2021 when violence, death, and covid vowed to reign supreme, some appear to still savor spreading discord, disease, and staring death in the face.
Polarizing beliefs are whirling into a tornado of destruction and loss. From the seats of Congress to the chairs in our living rooms, division dominates.
We are blessed to live in this country. We are a free people, and most of us believe in God. Religious persecution led folks to leave their homelands, sail across oceans, and begin a new life long ago. We fought, and many died, in countless wars to maintain our freedom because we were unified.
During our times of war, strife and vicious attacks, Americans joined together to save their homes and their independence. If we were attacked or threatened today, my fear is that many would swear it was a hoax. They would blame the Democrats or Republicans, or CNN or FOX or the guy down the street, and then wonder why a bomb landed in their neighborhood. Skepticism, distrust, and bogus conspiracies fueled by social media and running mouths create carnage.
Come on, folks, could we possibly try to bring it home? I am not sure what the “it” is, but it’s something. Perhaps we have lost a crucial piece of our humanity puzzle. Could it be we have forgotten to fear God?
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” Psalms 33:8
I don’t believe God is sitting on his throne with a paddle, ready to punish us for misbehaving. However, perhaps he means that if we are not in awe of his majesty, words, and teachings, first and foremost ... we fail.
We all tend to be awestruck with power, talent, money and intelligence. None of those things impress the Lord as much as putting our trust and hope in him. He asks us to love one another, be unified as brothers and sisters, be kind, be good, and live by the word. How are we doing with that? If we fear God and are in awe of him, we need to bring those things back home in multitudes.
Hatred, distrust, and division caused the rise of dictators and crosses to be placed on hills. We have seen what civil war can do and what lack of civility causes.
We are not children of a political party who idolize our leaders above all others. Are we not more than our colors, more than our political affiliation and more than what we see with our eyes? We are God’s creation. And we need to remember who we should revere in all circumstances.
If one person asks me one more time if I am this or that politically, I may have a sure-fire Southern hissy fit. Their views and mine are nothing compared to God’s views of them or me. God reads our words when we send judgmental emails and hears our divisive voices. He watches as groups gather to cause ill-will. He notices our hands when we clench our fists in rage. Are we in awe of him when we do such things or are our opinions more important than His words?
We will not honor God if we continue to push division. Not a single person in our government, nor one human being, will be able to unify this nation unless we look to
God to strengthen our resolve to follow his teachings. We cannot build trust with each other unless we trust our supreme leader.
If we want to lose America, it is not how we vote; it is how we choose to live.
We will always have political discord, but it is entirely out of hand today. We judge each other by who we politically stand with. I think God just wants us to stand behind him, and when we do, we might see our flags flying high in our yards, and our pride and priorities return home.
Well, as you can tell, I am not throwing in the towel without a fight. I am not waving a white flag or giving in to the bullies. Nope. I will not succumb to greed, to the power-hungry, the racists, and the hate mongers. If my ancestors risked all they knew to cross an ocean to an unknown, unchartered land to love God freely, then I can be brave enough to spread God’s love and remain in awe of him.
Let’s bring it home, folks, bring it home.