On December 28, 1968 (age 15) I said "yes" to Jesus, and in that moment my life was transformed. Forty-four years since then is...a few. My life has a not always been a clear reflection of His presence, but it has for the most part been, by His grace, a slow and steady "long obedience in the same direction."
The dynamics of our culture, over my lifetime, could be described as a devolution of "conscience" and evolution of "relevance" as our moral compass. It's ironic that the most extreme expression of the conservative mind, libertarianism, is in many ways the penultimate form of liberalism. My point is that "systems of thought," even theological systems of thought, can't change the trajectory of the human spirit. God does that one person, one decision, at a time. We just don't have the temperament to pull that off. History is filled with movements which morphed into extremism that marginalized human beings, in the name of a "greater-good," producing tyranny and crimes against humankind.
It's not my job save my culture from itself. The part I have been given, as a Christ-follower, is to point the people in my sphere of influence to God, who can; this is "the main thing" for me. I'm not called to point them to "systems" or movements that will save the day, but to the God of eternity who loves human beings with an everlasting and long suffering love, a transformative love. He does the formative work in people that can change culture.
That said, how can I "keep the main thing," the main thing? I offer 10 simple rules.
- Be humble.
- Love my spouse.
- Act as an agent of peace.
- Trust in the power of God.
- See people the way God sees them.
- Focus on walking close to God on a daily basis.
- Empower my kids and grandkids with a legacy of godliness.
- Declare the principles and precepts of God in a loving, inclusive way.
- Love unconditionally my enemies and those who might seek to hurt me.
- Pray for those raised up as leaders in my church, community and nation.
I choose God. He produces change which gives me, gives us all, hope.
