Jul 7, 2020
America! Land of Pride and Plenty! #1
America! Land of Pride and Plenty!
Most of us have so much, but life isn’t defined by having bigger barns, more toys, and treasures on earth. The man who built a bigger barn to keep all his stuff was called a ‘fool’ by Jesus. Life is defined by the heart, and what occupies it. Life must be defined by what is deeply important to us. Life is a temporary assignment. We don’t live forever, except for our souls and spirits.
Defining life in terms of having plenty is pride. Pride is one of ‘the seven deadly sins which are: (1) pride, (2) lust, (3) laziness, (4) anger,
(5) gluttony,(6) envy and (7) greed. These are attitudes and emotions that run our lives if we let them. We are meant to rule over them.
We Were All Created Equal
No, we are not equal in all ways, and sometimes not in many ways. But we are equal, at least in most of the world, when it comes to things like opportunities and choices.
This is what the United States was based on, but things haven’t always been equal here, and still aren’t in many ways. We were established on the basis of “One Nation Under God,” and “In God We Trust.” The concept of ‘manifest destiny’ was all about God and us having religious freedom. But during the 1800's, this was changed to:
(1) subduing the Native American Indians,
(2) keeping the Black man enslaved to the White man,
(3) keeping women subservient to men and not allowing them to vote.
In the United States, we have the greatest Constitution ever created, and it is used as a model by other free nations. Yet, it has largely been put into ‘dry-dock’ the past decades, and we’re in danger of losing it totally.
It’s true that children used to know our Constitution better than most of us lawyers do today!
We Have Less to Work With Today
The best example here is our educational system. It started going downhill about 1900, and by 1950–1960 it was totally unrecognizable from what it used to be. Our system used to emphasize four very important things:
(1) THE FAMILY was directly responsible in their kids’ education.
(2) ABC’s were highly taught good ways: reading, writing and arithmetic.
(3) MORAL VALUES were taught (they later became the Boy Scout creed).
(4) HOW TO SUCCEED in our capitalistic free enterprise system.
Today, reports say all that is left are the ‘ABC’s,’ and they are taught very inadequately. The family is often uninvolved, and there is no depth in it. Graduating seniors lack some of the basic skills to survive and succeed. Our corporations say they must often re-educate the people they hire.
This Is Not Just A Dumping Session
My point here is not just to complain about things. Instead, it is to make the point that we must protect what we have, or it is going to evaporate and cease to exist. It is said, “The worst thing is for good people to do nothing.”
<+> Stop and think.
We Are Here To Help and Serve Each Other
One of my mentors was John Denver. In college, I played guitar and sang with John for a short period of time. He was one of the most insightful men I’d ever met. He had a worldview that was contagious and very unique. You never just talked about ‘stuff’ with John, but about things that were meaningful, and could maybe make a difference in people’s lives. He said he thought his music was going to make world-wide impact. I’d say he succeeded, wouldn’t you?
John was always reaching out to people and trying to help them. He was a servant. He’d stop and help anyone, and he was always ready with a hug, or at least a handshake for anyone who wanted one. The first time I met him, he acted like he had been waiting for weeks — just to meet me. If we hadn’t been in the middle of a nightclub, I think he would have hugged me!
Comedian Woody Allen says, “Service to others is the rent we pay for our space here on earth.” That’s pretty good coming from a comedian, isn’t it? He was a lot more than just a comedian.
Life Consists of Obstacles, Problems and Offenses
This is true, but our job is to work around them, or climb over them, or dig under them. Jesus promised us in this life we would have problems, and also problem people. But hey, if life were perfect, we’d never have any desire for heaven, would we?
