I’m sitting here and thinking that we face a frightening dilema. Look at our world. Pretty rough, huh? Sure, it’s no worse than it’s ever been, but American culture seems to be hitting a low that will either destroy it or forever change it. We face the moral crisis. America is on the brink of destroying herself because we no longer hold to any values or standards of right and wrong. Now, you’ve heard all this before. I know that. I’m getting to my point, so hold on for a second. I’m not intersted in seeing America dye. I’m not interested in pointing out the problem with our society if I can’t suggest a solution.
I started out thinking that church wasn’t enough to save America. (You’ll say that the obvious way to fix America is for everyone to become a Christian. Once again, hold on; we’re getting there.) What is church…really. We go, once a week. Sometimes hear a sermon that’s riveting, that makes us want to change our lives. We leave motivated, encouraged, ready to take on the world. We get to the parking lot. We fight over who sits where. We go out to eat and refuse to be kind since we have to wait in line. Church isn’t enough. It doesn’t change us. One hour once a week isn’t enough to break through our small brains and change our lifestyle. We need something more intimate, and more importantly, something more frequent.
The family, you say? You’re always with them, they are extremely formative in your life. You’re right. But I submit that the family is not enough. It’s too limited. The ideas presented there are too small, for you get input from only two adults. No family has everything correct. Eventually, you will miss something. Given, you can learn valuable life lessons in the family, you do become endowed with a sense of morals and standards in the family. But I’m asking is it enough to save America? I don’t think so. Somehow, when I look out over our culture and see the good and the bad, I might conclude that school may be the most formative and influential time in your life and could be the thing that could possible “save America.â€
Think about it. In high school, you’re with these teachers and people every day. In college, you live with them. A teacher presents an idea. The next day, he builds on it. He talks about it again the next week, and it will be on the test. You become annoyed with his constant reiterations. And yet, those very things may be what you need to hear. One day, you wake up and read in your Bible and see that what your teacher has been beating you over the head with everyday in class is what the Bible teaches. Aha! Eureka! Now, instead of running through the streets naked, you go back to class. You are not allowed to forget this concept. And by the end of the year, you’ve engrained it into your value system.
Why, then, is the family not enough? Because they didn’t teach this to you. The periscope of your family didn’t rise high enough above the waters to see this. They taught you many other very important things, but not this. And this is essential to your life. And now you’ve got it. What is it? I don’t know, it could be a number of things: caring for the needy; helping the widow….. the list goes on.
I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I think I’m getting at one thing in particular for us in college: we’re here and we’re learning. Every day. Every night. It’s being pounded into our heads. What we’ve got to do is pound it into our hearts. Put our learning into action. Why is this so important. Because when we leave, we go out into real life. We get a job. We work every day. Taking care of the kids. Making the boss happy. It’s mind numbing, and we won’t have much time left over for reforming our values and lifestyle. So maybe, we leave college with most of our values firmly implanted in our minds and the way we live. Though it is possible to change them after, it won’t be easy.
But what about saving America? I’m thinking that if more people will leave high school and college practicing the basic values of Christ, then we could have a revolution here. If believers were patient, and kind, and self sacrificing, people would notice. We might even be attractive to the unbeliever. But somewhere I miss these basics and don’t live them out. And so, my life feels old, I feel stalemated, in the doldrums of death.
I don’t know what to do. Other than keep depending on the holy spirit for sustenance. Other than fixing my eyes on Jesus. And when they fall off of Him, not to give in to despair, but fixing my eyes on Him again. and again. and again.
I think I may be wrong about what is most formative in one’s life. The family plays a role that is tremendous. But I can’t escape from these other things that are also massive shapers in our lives, or which at least give us the opportunity to practice what we believe. And of course that won’t change America. God changes people’s lives. I think I’m saying that if we would let God change our lives and we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, we might be taken seriously. Maybe.
I’m just thinking out loud here. What do you think?
My latest favorite song is the new recording of a longtime favorite, Nessun Dorma, by Chris Botti. Previously, I had only heard vocal versions of this song. I was introduced to it in 10th grade, when our concert band performed a marvelous version of it featuring my very own trumpet section. Perhaps this is why I love Botti’s rendition, which gloriously belts out those beloved melodies. Check it out; Nessun Dorma is currently featured on his homepage.
Also in the news, we have a stellar team working on The Bagpipe, Covenant College’s student newspaper. The design/layout team is composed of The Whitaker Bros. Quite a crew, indeed. Josh is heading up the faith section, with Corrie writing for that section, too. With the dynamic Belz duo heading up Editor in Chief/Managing editor, it is going to be a strong year. A new Bagpipe Online website is being developed; check back soon for more information!
