Accept and Move On

We recently celebrated the anniversary of the birth of our great country.  The Fourth of July always provides time to reflect on our nation’s heritage and celebrate the freedom that we have.  It is also a time for reflection and perhaps to consider our present situation.  In light of the present political climate and what is perceived by many as a shift away from the values we cherish as Christian. I have also heard a lot of fear about the future of our nation. 

While I share some of the concerns, especially when it comes to the presumptive candidates to be our next leader, I also have to consider what it means to be a disciple of Jesus at such a time as this.  While I might struggle with the positions of our president, both current and future, I also need to consider the statutes on which our country was founded.  We have always been a nation built on freedom and diversity.  That comes with being a country made up of immigrants who bring various backgrounds, customs and even religious beliefs.  In this present time we might also add sexual values and orientation to the list of things that make us different as a population. 

I would like to propose that we might want to revive the WWJD campaign.  As Jesus disciples I believe we need to ponder on what would Jesus do given our circumstances?  In the process we might even discover some parallels.  Jesus lived in a political climate that reflected values that were different from what he had been taught.  He also taught and lived a lifestyle that ran counter to what the traditional Jewish leaders expected.  What does this mean?

What other people say and do does not affect who I am.  We are called to be in the world but not of the world.

We cannot stop teaching and living out what we believe are God’s desires for his creation. 

We need to love the broken and lost.  Without a relationship with them, they will never have the opportunity to see Jesus in us.

I believe we need to accept the realities of our present culture and move on in attempting to reach them with the Good News of the gospel.