Reform

I'm not nearly into politics as I used to be, mainly because I couldn't handle the level of frustration that it brought me nor did I enjoy sifting through all the chaff to find the beans of truth.  I would imagine that there are more opinions about the new health care bill that just passed last night than there are possible combinations of winning lottery numbers.

I have not kept up with the debate as avidly as I probably should have (see above for my reasoning) yet now that it seem to be a "done deal" I feel like I owe it to myself to investigate what it all means not just to the average American but to my family as well.  One thing I do feel pretty strongly about is the amount of access that governmental institutions have to run our lives for us.  I don't have a problem paying taxes or obeying basic laws, but what I do struggle with is the notion that so many hold dear that the government is the answer to all of our problems.

Social programs play a huge role in America and they are necessary because of the many needy people that we have in this country.  This saddens me because I believe that the church of Jesus Christ has greatly mismanaged her resources and opportunities to help "the least of these" in our society so that government has had to do it for us.  Am I saying that it is the church's job to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and house the homeless?  Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

I realize that health care reform probably falls beyond the sphere of what the church is capable of "fixing" and I do believe that there are many things, health care included, that need to be fixed.  But I also believe that true reform needs to happen in the hearts of Jesus' followers.  Instead of investing our dollars in buildings that are underused and over budgeted, we need to consider our neighbors and put our money to use in helping them.  It seems that for too long we've invested most of our resources in houses made with hands and far too less of those resources in things that expand God's kingdom. 

Does it bother you that so many around you live in substandard conditions with only one (sometimes no) parents on scene to give critical guidance?  Does it make your heart ache when you see families disintegrating or young women choose abortion over life because they simply have no way (or support) to have a child?  (Yeah, we can lecture them about abstinence but the fact is people make rash decisions whether they know the consequences or not, so we can either shun them or love them)  Does it seem right that we rail against only certain moral issues yet ignore other ones that are closer to home and have devastating consequences on individuals and families (pornography, adultery, etc.)?  It bothers me.

Jesus taught total dependence upon Father God, not some man made institution.  And whenever He offered His hand to assist or heal, the gospel message was always right there.  You can do good things to make yourself feel better, and if so then that's all you've got.  Or you can choose to love God and love people, living out the gospel by going to the least of these to show love while speaking the truth of Jesus into their hearts.