This Is Not The America I Grew Up In

It is 2:51 a.m. and I cannot sleep. There is a heavy sorrow deep inside me like you experience when someone close to you dies. Only this time the grief is not due to the death of someone but due to the sinful condition of the United States of America.

This nation has gone adrift in a sewage sea of sin  that breaks my heart. Sinful deeds once done in hiding are now openly flaunted. This is not the America I grew up in. With each passing year of my near fifty years on this planet I have seen changes taking us further and further away from God and  His laws. .

My fifth grade teacher used to ask us a question each Monday morning after standing to say the pledge of allegiance. She always wrote "boys" on one side of the chalk board and "girls" on the other side.We  all knew what she was about to ask. "Boys and girls, how many of you went to church yesterday?" There would be a show of hands and she tallied the votes making a little contest out of it. I remember how proud I was and how pleased she looked when I raised my hand on rare occasions. In hindsight, I can see Mrs. Mckinney served Jesus and no doubt prayed for our class. I never had a more encouraging teacher than her. I credit her encouragement, to this day, partly for the reason I love to write.

Could she get away with asking that question in a classroom today without repercussions. How many parents would pounce on her for introducing religion to their child. She would be reprimanded by school administrators or even fired such actions today. This thought grieves my heart.

I was not raised in church. We went occasionally. I cannot recall ever having attended a VBS as a child. I do remember the few times I want to church hearing the pastor preach from the Bible and thunder against sin. A far cry from much of church today.

 I played ball with my friends in the neighborhood. Nobody heard of playing organized youth sports on a Sunday. Most stores were not even open on Sunday. I did not grow up in church but somehow I knew Sunday was different. I am amazed at how youth sports has become an idol in many Christian homes. Sunday is no longer considered a holy day, a sacred day set apart for worship and rest. It is a day to travel to the next tournament, play the next game, and hopefully win the next trophy. What message are parents sending to kids at this point. Baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball are more important than God.

While visiting with a young lady at camp last week she told she was caught up in that life once. She never had time to go to church because she was always playing on a select team. She finally got tired of it all and walked away from playing sports all together. Today she and her husband are very active in ministry. What are the spiritual implications for this addiction to sports. One day confessed to me his regrets for allowing his child to play on Sundays. His exact words to me, "That destroyed her spiritually." Is the trophy worth that? This child wandered from the faith in later years before eventually returning to the Lord.

When I grew up select teams were when your best friends chose you to be on their team when you were choosing sides. We played whatever sport was in season in somebody's yard. Most of my childhood friends went to church on Sundays. They did come out play much on Sundays. I knew Sunday was different.

Today Sunday is just like any other day of the week. When I pulled into the neighborhood yesterday after church, I saw several Senior Adult men driving their golf carts loaded down with golf clubs after getting in a quick 18 holes before lunch. That is their life. They wake up everyday to play golf. They give no thought to matters of eternity. Many of them made it rich in their professional career and are enjoying their retirement years playing golf everyday. God and salvation do not mean anything to them. They think they will get to heaven based on the fact they are good old boys. Good old boys go to hell without Jesus.

When I cross the bridge over Lake Bridgeport on my way home from church each week this time of year,  the lake is littered with boats filled with people fishing, skiing, tubing, and jet skiing. Many of them say they do not have to go to church to worship. They worship beside ice chests filled with cold beer. In the fall these people will worship at the shrine of the Dallas Cowboys or their local high school football team. In the summer they swear their allegiance to the Texas Rangers baseball team. Do they fear the Lord who will judge their souls at the end of life. How few consider that it is appointed unto man once to die and then comes judgment.

I grew up watching things on television like Batman, Mighty Mouse, The Justice League, Scooby Doo, and the Six Million Dollar man. We did not live in front of the television. We did not have a cartoon network Cartoons were a special treat on Saturday mornings. We played outside. We did not see being made to go outside to play as punishment . We hated being cooped up inside the house and dreaded rainy days. Today children sit in front of televisions or video games multiple hours a day. Subtly culture rubs off on them as they are conformed to the pattern of this world.

This is not the America I grew up in. I got odd jobs as a child to earn money for the things I wanted. I worked seven weeks to purchase a record player I had my eye on. See weeks I labored for that record player and I valued it because I did so. Everything was not handed to me. I bought a bicycle after weeks of recycling paper. I moved yards, helped with paper routes, and raked leaves. My family taught me the value of hard work. I see so many children and students who are given everything. These children grow up entitled , spoiled and lazy.How will they function as working adults.

I grew up around black people. Some of my closest friends in high school were black teammates. We got along. We hd each other's backs. When our high school football team played towns known for racism some of black friends were fearful to get off the bus. I told them to walk behind me and I would fight for them if need be. They were my friends. We did not see everything as black vs white. I was honored when several of them asked me to be in a picture at our Senior prom. I was the only white guy in it. I still count that as an honor.

Today the media is quick to sir up racial tensions by what they air on the news and the way they cover a news story. There are some very disturbing things going like the shootings at the Bible study a short time ago racially motivated. At times it feels we are taking steps backward in race relations. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. The color of a person's skin does not matter there. The love of Jesus ran red at the cross as He shed his blood to forgive us all of sin. Why not focus on that color.

Politicians cannot save America. No matter how slick they are or how outlandish their campaign promises are they will never be able to restore America to what she used to be. Only God can do that. Only God can bring people to conviction and move them to repentance. Only God can turn hearts away from idolatry, pleasure seeking, bigotry, greed, strife, immorality of every shape, and arrogance. Only God can usher in a wave of revival and spiritual awakening that restores this nation to our roots. Only God can reorient our priorities to Him. Only God can heal and save this nation from self destruction.

I still love America. I would not want to live anywhere else. I would be a liar, though, if I did not call out the sin of our nation and pretended all was well to keep the peace.