Whether one agrees with the new presidential administration or not, one thing seems certain; our nation is in motion.
Before we relegate our needs to any institution and especially the federal government for societal fixes, I am reminded of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
The reason I mention our responsibility to our fellow man is that citizenship is tantamount to sacrifice. It is a code of honor, valor, and values. It is an ethic that must permeate into every individual lest sloth and self-interest destroy us from within.
Arguably, both political parties have enjoyed minimal oversight in recent memory by those they presume to represent, namely us.
We must ask, though, who is to blame and, perhaps, look closely in the mirror?
In Christianity, we are taught about an edifying sacrifice.
Jesus said to care for the needy, to remember the poor, and to lift the downcast. He said go the extra mile, endure an insult, and always be ready to forgive. He said to treasure wisdom, judge fairly, and be hospitable.
Each of these instructions involves personal and societal sacrifice. True adherence to a faith expression has no place in selfishness.
Christ proposed a system whereby whatever gifts one may have, they were to be stewarded over and multiplied with what is both God honoring mankind benefitting.
In one of his numerous stories, he suggests that each of us are given various levels of capabilities, and that we should also have a return regarding spiritual and moral investment.
He further states that those who forfeit the opportunity to act will be stripped of what they already have.
Sobering words indeed.
This, of course, begs the question. To what extent are you and I willing to build a more perfect union and at what cost?
In so many ways, our predisposition goes against the mandate to love our neighbors and yet we must if the betterment for all is in sight.
Will we get it wrong? The short history of our nation has shown us our flaws—glaringly at times. But history has also given us the pinnacles of raw and pure sacrifice on behalf of others. These, I believe, are the fingerprints of God upon each of us.
Let us not soon forget the debt we owe to our forefathers and in kind, become the legacy our children deserve.
Kent Simmons is the pastor of Canyon Community Church in Kingman, AZ.
