Understanding.

As a child and teenager, I was a brat. I wasn’t awful. At least I don’t think I was awful. But I was spoiled, and had a few instances where that “mean girl” syndrome came out. (Yes, I’ve sought resolution with those involved. I’ve asked for forgiveness from those I hurt and, most importantly, from God.)

As I moved into my adult years, I was complimented for being understanding. I’m told I show tremendous compassion towards the weak and downtrodden. How a spoiled child could grow into a compassionate adult is beyond my understanding. As they say, “It’s a God thing.”

Please allow me to be open, honest, and blunt. Regardless of my spiritual maturity, despite the fact I’m in my 60’s, and considering I am a born-again believer, I don’t understand where Christianity is headed. 

I saw an interview with a White, older woman living in rural Arkansas. She said, “l can tell you why Christians in rural America support Donald Trump. Fear and envy. We are afraid our way of life is being taken away. We are jealous that, despite being hard - really hard - workers, everyone else is getting ahead or cheating the system.”

I understand those feelings. I have great compassion towards those Americans feeling that way. Here is what I don’t understand: How does weakening our morals and ignoring biblical purity fix anything?

It is my understanding that we’ve only created more problems for ourselves. First, division and ridicule. Secondly, lost souls stopped listening. 

If the temporal matters, congratulations. But, if the eternal is both our hope and our calling, we blew it. 

“Between temporal and eternal things there is this difference: a temporal thing is loved more before we have it, and it begins to grow worthless when we gain it, for it does not satisfy the soul, whose true and certain rest is eternity; but the eternal is more ardently loved when it is acquired then when it is merely desired.”

~ Augustine of Hippo (Saint Augustine)

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