This week the talk has been all about equality. No matter who we are, men, women, asian, black, white, hispanic, muslim, christian, jew, gay, straight, rich, poor, smart, stupid, ambitious, lazy, all I hear is that we are all equal.
I don't buy it.
What does equal mean? I certainly don't contribute as much to society as a Bill Gates or a Pierre & Pam Omidyar or a Billy Graham and on and on. I certainly do contribute more than a Casey Anthony or a Jodi Arias. I'm not as smart as Stephen Hawking or Paul Allen, but I am smart enough to stay out of debt, raise a family, and save for my retirement. What does it mean to be equal? I'm not as popular as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. I'm not as pretty as Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. Do I think I'm equal to any of those people? I'm going to tell you, I don't. And, I don't think you are either.
We look to the Declaration of Independence to find the sentence we hang the hat of all this "equality" business. "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." Does this mean that what everyone does with the potential of that Life, Liberty, etc. is equal? I don't think so.
Here's what I do think. God created every person with an equal purpose. That purpose is to give God the glory in all we do!
We don't all produce the same results with our God-given lives. We have each been given different talents, opportunities, and influences in our lives. But here is where we have taken a wrong turn in our God-given lives. We live as if we are each living an individual life. We live as if what we do every day in every aspect of our lives does not effect anyone else. We forget that we were created to live in community. We put our individual desires above the desire to glorify God. We put our individual desires above the command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I am a christian. I am sinner. Every day I choose to resist or give in to temptation. When I give in to my sinful nature, I plead God's forgiveness. My desire is not to be equal to my neighbor, but to love my neighbor as God loves me. My desire is not to be equal, but to be a servant. My desire is to be salt and light in a fallen world.
I won't be changing my fb photo to an equal sign. During this holiest of weeks, I will be focusing on being forgiven and reconciled to my creator God through the life, suffering, bloodshed, and death of my savior, Jesus. I pray, as I pray daily, for this nation and the desires of the hearts of the people of this nation. I pray as Jesus prayed on the cross, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they are doing."
241. Watching storm-clouds part and see the sun come shining through
242. Bacon
243. Time spent with old friends
244. Hearing my husband say he is very happy in his marriage
245. Practicing smiling at people
246. Vacation
I don't buy it.
What does equal mean? I certainly don't contribute as much to society as a Bill Gates or a Pierre & Pam Omidyar or a Billy Graham and on and on. I certainly do contribute more than a Casey Anthony or a Jodi Arias. I'm not as smart as Stephen Hawking or Paul Allen, but I am smart enough to stay out of debt, raise a family, and save for my retirement. What does it mean to be equal? I'm not as popular as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. I'm not as pretty as Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. Do I think I'm equal to any of those people? I'm going to tell you, I don't. And, I don't think you are either.
We look to the Declaration of Independence to find the sentence we hang the hat of all this "equality" business. "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." Does this mean that what everyone does with the potential of that Life, Liberty, etc. is equal? I don't think so.
Here's what I do think. God created every person with an equal purpose. That purpose is to give God the glory in all we do!
We don't all produce the same results with our God-given lives. We have each been given different talents, opportunities, and influences in our lives. But here is where we have taken a wrong turn in our God-given lives. We live as if we are each living an individual life. We live as if what we do every day in every aspect of our lives does not effect anyone else. We forget that we were created to live in community. We put our individual desires above the desire to glorify God. We put our individual desires above the command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I am a christian. I am sinner. Every day I choose to resist or give in to temptation. When I give in to my sinful nature, I plead God's forgiveness. My desire is not to be equal to my neighbor, but to love my neighbor as God loves me. My desire is not to be equal, but to be a servant. My desire is to be salt and light in a fallen world.
I won't be changing my fb photo to an equal sign. During this holiest of weeks, I will be focusing on being forgiven and reconciled to my creator God through the life, suffering, bloodshed, and death of my savior, Jesus. I pray, as I pray daily, for this nation and the desires of the hearts of the people of this nation. I pray as Jesus prayed on the cross, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they are doing."
241. Watching storm-clouds part and see the sun come shining through
242. Bacon
243. Time spent with old friends
244. Hearing my husband say he is very happy in his marriage
245. Practicing smiling at people
246. Vacation
mmm...bacon...
ReplyDeletebrandee....killing me with that comment...
ReplyDeletei def agree that we have become a nation of individuals....looking out for our own best interest...and forgetting to live in community...
as to the equal sign...i think we fight the wrong fight at times...and we are fighting against the inevitable...and it will only turn more people away...if i am honest...
I am totally for equality. I believe that if people love each other, they should be able to marry. I am okay with choosing the battles for good education, environmental concerns, etc. But this isn't a battle ground for me. I believe in equality.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. The best line...we are created with an equal purpose. How we live is up to us. To honor God, or not. Our choices will not always be equal. Our VALUE is equal in God's eyes, and His love for us is equal. But, how we choose to live can disrupt that equality and put us at odds. Very insightful. Love it.
ReplyDeletefrom
The Dugout
.