Faith

Yes, We CAN Make America Great Again — Photo Credit: Elyssa Renae Photography

But, it’s not how you think.

We’re not going to make America great again by calling everybody that you disagree with stupid. Or ugly. Or little.

We’re not going to make America great again by being a vindictive bully, and acting like the world revolves around you like you’re still on your reality TV show or at the helm of your company.

We’re not going to make America great again by belittling people with disabilities, women, or people of other races and nationalities. Or by making promises with absolutely no substance. Or by saying whatever you need to say to get elected.

We’re not going to make America great again by brandishing the Bible and calling yourself a “strong Christian”, when it doesn’t appear that you have the slightest clue what you are talking about when it comes to having a relationship with Christ.

Look, I get it. You seem to be a loving father and a husband. You’ve had great success, along with some failures, in your business career. You seem to be a great negotiator and can certainly rally the troops when it comes to business and now your campaign. You’re over the top, brash, and you tell it like it is. You’re far from an establishment candidate, and many have bought your song and dance routine hook, line, and sinker … and you are poised to capture the GOP nomination.

But, this is not how we make America great again. And Mr. Trump, it’s not just you either. Our nation is in trouble, and all the leading candidates can do is hurl insults at each other and argue like school children. It’s time to wake up America. Is this really the best we can do?

I don’t think so. We CAN make America great again.

We make America great again by electing servant leaders at all levels of government, who recognize that it isn’t all about them, but rather the people that they serve. Leaders who are willing to do what it takes to do the right thing for the people and for the country, without constantly worrying about voting strictly along party lines or getting re-elected.

We make America great again by encouraging dialog with our neighbors, seeking first to understand, instead of belittling those that we disagree with, and hating (real hate, not ‘fake rage or politically correct hate’) and calling them all sorts of ugly names that your grandma would be (or should be) embarrassed by.

We make America great again by working to end political correctness, and the fake rage that we see everyday around issues that polarize our nation into oblivion.

We make America great again by practicing the art of politics, and using common sense to find common ground for the good of the people of this great nation, instead of screaming at each other, ramrodding ideologies and bills down each others throats, filibustering, and boycotting this or that until absolutely nothing gets down or the polarization of this country continues to get worse by the minute. Most of us want similar things, but our approach can, admittedly, be drastically different. We must learn to work together if we’re going to get anywhere without destroying our country in the process.

We make America great again by finding ways to provide a ladder of opportunity for those that need it to begin participating in the American dream, and by rewarding those that invest, create, and build small businesses, the backbone of American jobs.

We make America great again by encouraging entrepreneurship in our youth.

We make America great again by fixing our education system, so that high school and college students are given the opportunity to have an internship or apprenticeship program that prepares them with real life, ready-to-use job skills without a crushing debt load of a four year degree to nowhere.

Finally, if you’re a Christian, and seek to follow Christ (not just in name only but by having a relationship with Him), we make America great again by falling on our knees and praying to the Creator God, asking forgiveness for our sins and our wicked ways and for healing to take place across this land.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (And no, that isn’t Two Chronicles)

We can do better America. I can do better.

Father God, forgive me for my sins and wicked ways. Forgive me for not doing enough to make a difference in this world and to show your love to others. I pray for this wonderful land we call America. I pray for healing. I pray for peace. I pray for our leaders and our presidential candidates. I pray that your will be done Lord. Help us to trust in you. Amen.

This weekend I attended the Generation Unleashed youth conference in Portland with my wife and youth from our church. I’m not sure who got more out of it, the youth or me. It was an amazing experience to say the least.

During the opening session, pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. spoke about running the race. The text was Hebrews 12:1-3:

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

He shared the story of when he went out for the cross-country team in high school to impress a girl, despite hating to run. During his first race, he started out with a very fast pace, while everybody was watching, thinking that it was going to be easy. But once he got to the part of the course that went into the woods, he was exhausted, and he bent over with his hands on his knees while everybody past him up. He pressed forward, walking, all alone, discouraged, and certain that cross-country wasn’t for him. When he finally got to the edge of the woods, he suddenly saw a crowd of people, including his teammates, and they saw him and began to cheer him on to finish the race. Despite giving up in the woods, he had kept moving forward one step at a time. His teammates and the crowd continued to cheer him on as he started running again as hard as he could and finished the race. As he crossed the finish line, his teammates surrounded him and lifted him on their shoulders. His teammates had his back.

Far greater than the crowd at that race, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses in heaven. These are the faithful that have gone before us. It might include our parents, or grandparents, or uncles and aunts, who left a legacy of faith for us to follow. I thought a lot about my parents, and the faith that they had during their life. I thought of the time when I was a little boy living in Mexico. My parents had incredible faith, believing for provision to provide for their every need as missionaries in Mexico. I remember the story (I was too little to remember the actual event) of how one night we sat down for dinner as a family. We apparently didn’t have any food in the house (and no money) except for a few rolls and butter. We sat down, prayed, and there was a knock on the door. Somebody had been prompted to bring some jam to complete our dinner.

I think of that story as one of many faith stories in my life story. Even if you don’t have a legacy of faith in your family … perhaps you are the first in your family who have accepted Jesus as your Savior and are on a faith journey … the giants of the faith still provide a legacy of faith for you, and they surround you every day as a cloud of witnesses, cheering you on to keep running the race that has been marked out for us as we follow Christ.

There are a couple of key takeaways that I came away with:

We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, and “Heaven’s got our back”. Imagine a Super Bowl crowd, all cheering on their favorite team or player. Now magnify that by a number larger than you can imagine. That’s what it’s like to have a cloud of witnesses cheering for us cheering for us to finish the race. Wow!
Fix your eyes on Jesus: He is the author and perfecter of our faith.
Direction is more important than speed: Just keep your eyes on Jesus, and keep moving in the right direction. If you are going through a time in the “woods” or a difficult time, just keep moving on the path marked for you.
Whenever you get weary, and have to put your hands on your knees, remember that Jesus endured the immense suffering of the cross, and took on the sins of the world, your sins, so that we don’t have to lose heart and we can press on towards the finish line and hear those wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Rest if you must, but remember “Heaven’s Got Your Back!”