As some know, I work in a primary life skills classroom for children with special needs. In the past 15 years working in public schools and at special needs summer camps, I have worked with children and young adults who have minor to major learning and physical disabilities. I've worked with those who have Autism, Down's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Fragile X, Myotonic Dystrophy, Muscular Dystrophy, Williams Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and many more.
I have such a soft spot in my heart for children with special needs. As a child I struggled with learning and was put into special education classes up through Jr. High, not much was offered in High School. So I have compassion when it comes to children struggling to learn. However, the young people I work with more often than not, have greater challenges than I ever had. While they all have their own unique physical and or mental abilities, and some may come from broken homes or difficult lifestyles, they are all so precious.
True, there are days I'm so physically and emotionally worn out after dealing with attitudes and strong wills, temper tantrums, fits of anger, accompanied by objects thrown at me, multiple "Code Browns", AKA messy diapers, and just the constant noise...Still, I don't loose sight of the fact that they are God's first. When they learn something for the first time or take my hand and randomly say, "I love you", or when I watch them explore things for the first time and get a glimpse of the world through their eyes it makes it all worth it. Matthew 25:40 says, "And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’" Sadly it doesn't pay the bills.
Now I hear that schools used to have prayer in them. When I was in school it didn't happen much, however if you felt the need to do so, nobody condemned you for it either. I also have heard that The Pledge of Allegiance is being taken out of schools. I personally haven't seen that happen at any schools I have worked. I have however, witnessed as students move up in higher grades, the lack of respect and understanding for the pledge, the flag, and our country in general, even respect for a Creator God, has greatly decreased. Although, the school I currently work at has a 30 second moment of silence every day. I take that time to pray over our day. That quick 30 seconds is followed by the pledge. A couple of days ago, I was looking at the faces of the students as one yelled the pledge, another mumbled or babbled as that's about the only way she speaks, another one misses a few words and adds others, but they all looked in the general direction of the flag with a right or left hand somewhere on or near their chest or belly and recite or acknowledge the flag in their own way.
Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks! People don't realize how blessed they are to live in the USA!! In other countries children like these precious trying, ones I work with, wouldn't be allowed to live. Their lives wouldn't be as cherished by the community as my students are. If they were able to live they would not be attending school. They might be sheltered and or hidden away, and maybe not given the medical treatment needed. This line of thinking led me to the think about how many people take for granted, the blessings right in front of them. Too many people are not satisfied with what they have. They wanted to be handed more, feel they deserve more, all because some sort of disability or lack of certain ability, or even minority status. Not that every one with a disability or children with a disability or even minorities in the U.S. all think like that, but there is a growing number who do.
In fact there are becoming a greater number of people in our country, in this world who feel entitled to gain something just because they feel they deserve it, nothing more. There is such a high number of people who continue to add labels to themselves or children to gain monetary support, health care, and other benefits or special treatment.
The priorities and ideals our country once held in high esteem are being eroded away by selfishness, laziness, feelings of entitlement, and failure to acknowledging The God our country was founded on, whether those who rewrite history want to admit it or not. Our country as a whole, not every individual person, is so focused on their little corner of the world. They don't seem to see past the community they live in, or the needs and desires they feel are more important than others. People don't often think bigger. Bigger than their, home, town, city, state, hardly bigger than their country. There is more to this world than The USA. We're a country, part of a global community.
Yet, we as a society don't seem too concerned or pay much attention to what goes on in the rest of the global community. We think that none of the issues of the world affect us. So we go on not paying attention to what's going on around us, cry about some made up entitlement we're not receiving. While others in the world we ignore are literally dying to drink clean water, have enough daily food to sustain them, attend school, and even worship the very same God our country was founded on, but is now trying to kick out.
Our country was supposed to be a beacon of light, a place of hope, an example to the world. A good example. We may still have more freedoms than many other countries and be just about the richest country in the world, but we are spoiled and self centered.
It is true that the Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." However, this statement isn't a license to be selfish, choose to be ignorant, or think you're more deserving than others.
Unalienable means, unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor. Who is the possessor mentioned in the Declaration of Independence? "Their Creator". If you ask the average American whether they are religious or not, most would understand "their Creator" (note spelled with a capital C) refers to God with a capital G meaning, the one true God. So it is understood, God, whom our country is founded on, gave the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Liberty is the freedom from external foreign rule. There was a reason why people sought out a new land, the rulers of their time and country were oppressive and took away many of the basic necessities they felt they needed to live a full and productive life. Whether current historians want to recognize it or not, worshiping God, the way they felt He was leading them, was one of the major pushes in finding new land.
Happiness, as most anyone understands, according to an online dictionary, means: good fortune, pleasure, contentment, or joy. Notice in the Declaration of Independence it says, "the pursuit of happiness." It doesn't say that we are guaranteed or owed good fortune, pleasure, or joy, but we are free to peruse it. When thinking about that one freedom given to us by God, it reminds me of the quote, "... For to whom much is given, from him much will be required;..." It's not just a great quote from the Spider-Man comic or movie, it is from God himself in Luke 12:48. Our country has great freedoms but what they choose to do with them, isn't necessarily wise. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any..." Just because we are able to use our freedom, it's how we choose to use them and what we use them for that matters.
As a country I think we have corrupted our freedom and made poor choices. It's time to turn back to God. I think we are so far away from what our Founding Fathers intended for us. Those who consider themselves a Christian, need to take a greater stand for our country before it is lost. I think we are extremely far from what God would like to see in us. He never required much of us as Christians. "and 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayers made in this place." (2 Chronicles 7:14-15)
Those who don't consider themselves Christians need a true example of what it means to live for the Lord and not forsake Him. We have warnings about turning from the Lord, and I think we're on the edge of great danger. 2 Chronicles 7:19:20 says, “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a by word among all peoples." Do we want to be a proverb among all people? A proverb about a country richly blessed and as an example to the world, lost it all because we turned from the original purpose and plan for our life and country?
As Christians, we hold a high calling, I think most are failing to see. “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6) Are we conducting ourselves worthy of being called God's treasure? Once we accept God's gift of salvation through Jesus we are considered a chosen people. He chose to give freely and we chose to accept. Proclaim what He has done and wants to do in the lives of others. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9
While I desire Christians to make a stand and for our country to turn back to the Lord, I fear we've already gone too far and God is just going to give our nation over to itself. God did warn against such things.
"So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.” (Isaiah 66:4) "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:21)
And chose that in which I do not delight.” (Isaiah 66:4) "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:21)
I know I risk sounding like one of those people holding up a sign saying, "REPENT THE END IS NEAR!" It's not the first time I've been a little on that edge. Although, sometimes I feel a desperate desire to scream just that. Looking at the world as it is going now and looking to scripture, it's hard not too. 1Timothy 3:1-7 Sounds just like today: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." However there is some redemption in vs 14-15, "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Many in our country seem to have or practice a "form of godliness, but denying its power..." They are fooled into thinking, because they are "good" and do "good" things they are Christians bound for heaven. They fail to see it's more than that. It's learning how to have and keep fellowship with the Lord, walking in His ways, not our own. It's grabbing hold of the truth in God's power that comes with salvation to everyone who believes, as spoken about Romans.
Weak Christians can't be good witnesses to unbelievers and set the example we should be setting. Instead in our weakness we risk leading them astray or turning people away. Our lives, country, and world may seem out of control. That's when we should be careful to look to the ONE who holds our future in HIS hands and point others to the One who gives us HOPE. My hope and future rest in the one true God, Father, Creator, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. Where is yours when you see the uncertainty in our world?
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