God, if you are listening...
Today is the fourth of July, a holiday of independence and freedom celebrated all across the United States of America. One would have to hide in a hole for almost a week to not notice the patriotic constituents plastering red, white and blue on every surface to be seen. It's a day not only of celebration, but of remembering what it took to get us to where we are today. The lives that were sacrificed, the people that gave what they had, and the journeys that have been faced to label us as the 'land of the free.'
I am a rich American. I don't struggle to make ends meet, I have a car, I live in a house, and I eat healthy food by choice every day. I take warm showers, I sleep on a soft pillow, and I have blessings that a tenfold every single day. But I am also an American who refuses to fall asleep. By fall asleep, I mean, conform to the reality of what is really going on.
Are we really a country that remains free? Or is there now an element of fear as we live out or day to day lives? Why have guns become something we idolise and why do we simmer on the fact that our weapons could destroy lives? Are we really showing justice to the people we were actually created to be?
I've recently come back from Australia, and I think it's safe to say that I've come down from the mountaintop. But the view on top of that mountain was incredible. And as I travel home from yet another challenging and growing experience overseas, I realise how elements have shifted in my own country over the last few years.
Shootings take headlines for news stories for a few hours, maybe a few days, and then we move on. We hear of children being raped, trafficked and molested, and we don't even lose any sleep. We watch movies that display vivid imagery of the reality that other people actually experience, and then we tuck ourselves in at night, calling it a day. We have become virtually numb, and to me this is most disgusting.
Christians believe this is all part of the fate of the world that we live in. The battles we face are subject to the reality of a world tainted by sin and its tempter. But for an atheist, or a non-believer, where do we begin to adjust and see where things are actually supposed to get better?
I am personally struggling with this in its entirety. The pain that the world experiences is acceptable now. And we numb ourselves with drugs, alcohol, and other forms of distraction to justify the flaws that are displayed everywhere.
I'm struggling with the church. I'm struggling to see why my friendships within religious circles feel empty. Why these friends are the ones that have the least amount of time, the least amount of interest, and the least amount of responsiveness to these concerns. It's almost as if they've become so rehearsed as to what to say, that they can simply press the recording when needed. "God has a plan, it'll all be okay."
Those words are true, but just like "I love you," they are thrown around with other jargon like a game. Why is it that my friends inside the church are the least aware and receptive to life struggles? Why is it that my secular friends have more time, more energy, and more interest, even when I mention beliefs that they may not agree with?
Why is it that we prefer to sit in our own circles, and draw lines in the sand between 'us and them,' when our sins are equally yoked in the eyes of the Creator. Why is it that we strive so hard for a standard, when others around us just need someone to understand that they are human?
I think we've become too comfortable. We like sitting in our circles. We like believing that we are free. We like believing that this is how life is meant to be, and ignoring common realities. As for me, I find it painful to shove my way into these circles, and make sure I appear a certain way when I step in. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, so I'm sure he'd hang out with me.
I don't know where we've gone wrong. If the devil is using first world comforts to make us feel self-reliant, free, and safe. Or if we simply have just lost sight of reality.
But God, if you are listening, I ask that you measure me by your love, not by the standards others create. And that you forgive me for placing you in the same box as humanity.
I am a rich American. I don't struggle to make ends meet, I have a car, I live in a house, and I eat healthy food by choice every day. I take warm showers, I sleep on a soft pillow, and I have blessings that a tenfold every single day. But I am also an American who refuses to fall asleep. By fall asleep, I mean, conform to the reality of what is really going on.
Are we really a country that remains free? Or is there now an element of fear as we live out or day to day lives? Why have guns become something we idolise and why do we simmer on the fact that our weapons could destroy lives? Are we really showing justice to the people we were actually created to be?
I've recently come back from Australia, and I think it's safe to say that I've come down from the mountaintop. But the view on top of that mountain was incredible. And as I travel home from yet another challenging and growing experience overseas, I realise how elements have shifted in my own country over the last few years.
Shootings take headlines for news stories for a few hours, maybe a few days, and then we move on. We hear of children being raped, trafficked and molested, and we don't even lose any sleep. We watch movies that display vivid imagery of the reality that other people actually experience, and then we tuck ourselves in at night, calling it a day. We have become virtually numb, and to me this is most disgusting.
Christians believe this is all part of the fate of the world that we live in. The battles we face are subject to the reality of a world tainted by sin and its tempter. But for an atheist, or a non-believer, where do we begin to adjust and see where things are actually supposed to get better?
I am personally struggling with this in its entirety. The pain that the world experiences is acceptable now. And we numb ourselves with drugs, alcohol, and other forms of distraction to justify the flaws that are displayed everywhere.
I'm struggling with the church. I'm struggling to see why my friendships within religious circles feel empty. Why these friends are the ones that have the least amount of time, the least amount of interest, and the least amount of responsiveness to these concerns. It's almost as if they've become so rehearsed as to what to say, that they can simply press the recording when needed. "God has a plan, it'll all be okay."
Those words are true, but just like "I love you," they are thrown around with other jargon like a game. Why is it that my friends inside the church are the least aware and receptive to life struggles? Why is it that my secular friends have more time, more energy, and more interest, even when I mention beliefs that they may not agree with?
Why is it that we prefer to sit in our own circles, and draw lines in the sand between 'us and them,' when our sins are equally yoked in the eyes of the Creator. Why is it that we strive so hard for a standard, when others around us just need someone to understand that they are human?
I think we've become too comfortable. We like sitting in our circles. We like believing that we are free. We like believing that this is how life is meant to be, and ignoring common realities. As for me, I find it painful to shove my way into these circles, and make sure I appear a certain way when I step in. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, so I'm sure he'd hang out with me.
I don't know where we've gone wrong. If the devil is using first world comforts to make us feel self-reliant, free, and safe. Or if we simply have just lost sight of reality.
But God, if you are listening, I ask that you measure me by your love, not by the standards others create. And that you forgive me for placing you in the same box as humanity.
Amen.
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