Yesterday I watched a disturbing segment on CBS News with Katie Couric. For once, instead of showing the disastrous story about the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Couric and her news cronies turned to the deepening pessimism about the direction of the United States.
The U.S. has been rocked for the past three years as it has been mired in deep recession, corruption, and debt. In this headline story, Couric goes into details about how many Americans presently are doubtful and upset about the state of the nation. Many distrust the government to handle the current economic crisis, while many have doubts about if their futures are secure. (BTW, how many Americans are distrustful of the government, always have, always will be, think Colonies-era my friends)
It made me think. I told this story to my dad, who responded, "the system is corrupt." Indeed. Financiers and big bankers run our country. They always have. Throughout history, its those "with the gold that make the rules," or at least they can manipulate for their favor. Rule of law set the rules for fair practices, but those with greedy hearts can and could always jump hurdles to finish ahead of others.
So, here we are, listening to people discuss the uncertainty of the future. It really has been tough. Many are unemployed, many are lost in their direction for their lives. People are empty. Recessions are part of economic cycles, but the corruption and depravity of how greedy we Americans can be, despite our claims to be fair, intelligent, and wise in making good decisions, show how sinful we are (greed is sin). It has made the economic crisis even more hard-felt.
People in the interviews repeatedly kept saying that they do not feel the government is not doing an adequate job.
As citizens, we have every right to question authority and its policies. If government cannot do its job, we must do the right things, like vote em' out of office (Happens every Election Term).
What about citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven? Aka the Church? What is our role? Simple, just keep preaching the Gospel and sharing it with the lost. Simple! One of the major lessons I learned during my sojourn in South Korea was becoming more aware that this place, earth, is not my home. It is in heaven.
If we are doomed to die bodily, what is next for the believer? The spiritual...the sanctification that goes on while our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only one who saves us and makes us more like Him. Eternal life. It starts now.
Americans are becoming more distrustful of authority, and in this context, they have every right to be. Money was wasted, people are in debt, and the government puts more priorities in spending ourselves out of recessions without seeing the root problems of doling free loans, while keeping financial institutions afloat.
In turn, as believers, this is a grand time to be living more for Him. For many households, money is tight and the citizenry are very watchful of their cash flows. People are suffering because their number one fallback was their assets, cash on hand, and their families. But as we have seen in this recession, those things are slowly slipping. Even people who have worked their whole lives have been hit by the careless decisions of others. Fractured this society it may be, American believers and missionaries to this country can do more:
1. Pray for the American citizenry that many would turn to Christ, and not possessions for their safety and security.
2. Pray for the churches who adequately preach the Gospel. That includes us individual members of His body who are out their, whether unemployed or working, to become friends with our neighbors around us and share the Gospel.
3. Be wary of the American Idol: one of the more dangerous trends of American life is entertainment. This is a warning for myself, as television, sports, videogames, and idle time becomes more of a leech that drains spiritual time with the Lord. I recall how the Roman Empire was a nation of petty entertainment ploys that distracted the citizenry while the empire became more disjointed. Worse, the entertainment on a moral scale became worse (Gladiators and Circuses anyone?) Hedonism and free-for-all pleasure are advocated on TV shows, which we take into our minds.
4. Consider the plights of other nations. One sermon I recommend to anyone as a believer in Jesus is John Piper's "What is the recession for?" A great one to put into perspective on how as Christians we can respond during this doubtful and burdensome time. I remember my pastor, Pastor Wayne Kempson, said "many nations would love to have our recession." (Paraphrase) Oh how would a nation of Niger or some of the townships in Jo'burg, South Africa would love living situations like ours despite the recession.
5. Consider the plight of other Americans. Don't forget, America is poor. How can we support other churches who can reach out to the lost in other parts of the country?
6. Be thankful. Its not even a situation of "oh, Greece is having riots in Athens, or Bangkok is going ape," so I'm thankful! I think "comparison thankfulness" has a place in the family home, especially when your parents bombard you with the "I didn't have food" lecture, which puts into perspective of how thankful we should be. Yet comparing your situation with others can be limited because it can lead to pride and ignorance. Yet just be thankful to God that He allows us to have breath in our lungs this day. Being thankful to God (The Trinity), Baruch Hashem, puts everything into perspective. Sin is rampant so things like greed will wrought our finances and people will get away with thievery, but we know that this place 'AIN'T' our home. Yea.
7. More Bible please! Don't get swayed by hopeful philosophies the world offers. CNN's pragmatic "this is reality but it is what it is news stuff, economic forecasters giving their hopeful forecasts that provide nothing but dooms-days watches." Let's face it, the world is going down. Jesus will return...so get more Bible please, let it be nutritious for your soul, mind, and heart. Memorize it, keep it active so we can stop sinning and start winning souls.
There you have it, my take on the current situacion en Los Estados Unidos. Adios.
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