Yesterday was September 11th, 2013. Over and over again I heard or saw people via social media reflecting on September 11th, 2001. This caused me to reflect, not only on the condition of our country and world, but on my own heart and how I am not the same as I was 12 years ago.
Several times throughout the day I had to simply stop and say “Thank You God” for You have changed me so much. 12 years ago I sat as a Freshmen in College, watching the Towers fall in shock, disbelief, and quite honestly no idea what just happened. I began to develop, based on attitudes of others, this heart of revenge. I got excited when I heard songs coming out like the “Angry American” by Toby Keith.
Oh, justice will be served and the battle will rage:
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage.
An’ you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A.
‘Cos we’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way. From Cowboylyrics.com
I have to admit that 12 years later I am in a way different place. I believe God has been showing me that I believed “The Myth of A Christian Nation.” Some how I allowed my love for the Country in which I was born and raised to trump my love for God and the Nations in which He created. I fell in love with an idea. The idea that because we have Churches in every town and that for a long time many people, including our Presidents, claimed to be Christians, that some how we were more important to God.
Oh, boy. If you are still reading this I hope that you would understand that I am not trying to condemn you for your love of our country, I am simply saying that I am grateful for the change that God has brought about in my own life. I am grateful that I can look at my Muslim friend and believe that God is at work in His life. I am grateful that I am learning to love people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. I am grateful that God has done this work in my heart because 12 years ago I would not have pictured myself where I am at today.
I am learning to love not just the nations, but others Christians who come from different religious traditions or who have different methods of doing ministry. I am learning, very slowly to say with Paul:
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others of goodwill….But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
Yesterday, as I reflected on the past 12 years of my life, I realized that God is developing in me a Kingdom perspective. He is developing in me a desire to love no matter what the cost. To love sacrificially, allowing my own preferences and opinions to become less and less important. He is humbling me and showing me that I do not know or understand as much as I think I do. I am becoming smaller and my prayer is that in my smallness, HE will increase.
My prayer is that as I become friends with those who are tattooed, drunks, users, abusers, LGTBQ, Democrats, Republicans, materialistic and religious, that somehow God would use me to declare His love. And maybe some day, 12 years down the road, they too will be able to spend a day reflecting on how God has changed them.
Is He changing you? Take a moment and celebrate because He is good!
