While the American left has made it crystal clear that God is not welcomed in our politically correct society (unless of course the discussion is about a mosque in the vicinity of ground zero), the populous is becoming more energized in the opposite direction.
As a youth soccer coach, PE teacher, and sports fan, I have found that a struggling athlete is best served by getting back to the basics. No excuses, short cuts, or blame, simply remember why they are there, and take responsibility to correct what is within their control. Gandhi once said Live your life as you want your world to be. The obvious principle here is for you to get a vision of what should be and to become that yourself. This takes a vision followed by action. In my previous post called the dash, along with the ones on success, I clearly define the elements that make up this principle which are grounded in hope and ultimately faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. Faith and hope are inextricably connected.
When things are not going well, it’s always wise to get back to the basics, and inevitably back to faith. I pray that this is where we are as a nation. Why? Because we are experiencing a breakdown of our society, which many call tyranny, and we know it. Some may not be able to define it, or put a finger on it, but it’s there and many sense that we need to turn back to God. When you come back to your faith, you become more inclined to live by God’s principles, in fact you desire it. These principles, designed as part of what makes this world function properly, are disappearing from daily life and the results of it are becoming obvious to even the moderate among the religious crowd. For those readers who don’t relate to the religion thing at all, getting back to basics generally means a simpler life based in principle. Most folks get to a point where they realize that living by principle (not taking short cuts but rather doing what is right) produce the best results in the long run. One of my favorite nuggets regarding this principle is: Convenience vs. commitment: Living together = convenient, marriage = commitment. Settle for = convenient, go for = commitment. If you take the time to read the bible, you’ll find that all good principles that you are familiar with are found there. An example that comes to mind is the “golden rule”, do on to others as you would have them do on to you. This is familiar to most and has been taught throughout history in our society. It’s the foundation for respect and dignity. This principle can be found throughout the bible. Following are 2 of many such references:
Matthew 7:12 Jesus says; So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets
Romans 13:9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
1st Great American awakening: History shows us that religious freedom proved to be a significant component of the American revolution. Consider the following excerpt taken from Wikipedia:
President John Witherspoon of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) wrote widely circulated sermons linking the American Revolution to the teachings of the Hebrew Bible (old testament). Throughout the colonies dissenting Protestant congregations (Congregationalist, Baptist, and Presbyterian) preached Revolutionary themes in their sermons, while most Church of England ministers preached loyalty to the King.[12] Religious motivation for fighting tyranny reached across socioeconomic lines to encompass rich and poor, men and women, frontiersmen and townsmen, farmers and merchants.[13]
· 12 William H. Nelson, The American Tory (1961) esp. p. 186
· 13 Bonomi, p. 186, Chapter 7 “Religion and the American Revolution
Is this where we are today? Perhaps not at the “revolution” stage but many people see today’s events as tyranny. The federal government, media, and the extreme left pushing our nation in a direction that mirrors socialism. Our religious freedoms are under attack, and we are losing our moral compass. Government is getting bigger while our freedoms are being taken away. Our vision, ambition and sense of creativity and ultimately responsibility are slowly being replaced by a culture of entitlement. The most dangerous of all however is that God has been pushed out of our lives and replaced by the state. The state will take care of you, handle your charitable giving by redistributing your wealth, give you free health care, and take over industry in order to protect you from it… Who needs God? We all do and that’s my point and my hope is that we recognize it.
I’ll leave you with this last nugget: When the people are afraid of the government you have tyranny, when the government is afraid of the people you have freedom
