Don't burn me at the stake just yet-- hear me out. I am so very grateful to live in a free country and to have access to so many beautiful places, so many opportunities. I have spent a fair share of my lifetime chasing after the American Dream. I have chased the dreams of having a family, owning a home, having a brand-new top-of-the-line (in my budget-- or even a bit beyond) car. I have dreamed of having a beautiful house with a white picket fence and children running around. And, for so long, I became comfortable. Comfortable in my marriage, in my home, teaching at my alma mater, planning a future life with children, driving my dream car, financially "secure" with loads of debt. I was living the "dream". Yet I was empty, I was un-fulfilled. I was longing for so much more. According to the American Dream, I should have been content-- yet I was so empty.
American pride has become a huge topic of debate lately. From Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the anthem to Trump's call to "Make America great again," it's all about taking back America or re-instilling an America to take pride in. Majority of Americans are not simply grateful to live in America but prideful to live in America. This pride causes us to look down upon other countries, to see ourselves as better than the citizens of those countries simply because of where we were born. What have you or I done to earn the right to be prideful as Americans? Sometimes I think we take such pride in being Americans that we let patriotism overshadow our call to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ known among the nations. We won't check our American privilege for the sake of the Gospel. We sing our national anthem or God Bless America more boldly and passionately than we do songs of worship on Sundays. We so quickly forget that Christ has not called us to be Americans that happen to be Christian. On the contrary, He has called us to be Christians that happen to live in America. We are not identified by our nationality. We are identified in Christ alone. He is our Savior. One can "live" the American Dream, yet be stone-cold dead spiritually. True living is found in Jesus Christ. We don't need American pride. We need Christian humility.
I, for one, am tired of living comfortably. I'm tired of chasing after the American dream. I'm tired of having pity party after pity party that life hasn't turned out the way I wanted it to. As Christians in America, we have only seen a taste of true persecution for our faith. We live in a country where we are free to worship where and when we want to. We can boldly proclaim our faith to anyone and everyone that we meet. We sit in our comfortable pews each Sunday (and/or Wednesday) week in and week out, but do we dare open up our mouths throughout the week and share the beautiful work that Christ has done and is doing in us. Does our witness leave the church building? Brothers and sisters around the world are being be-headed for their faith, yet we sit comfortably and can't even so much as strike up a conversation about faith at the lunch table?!
God has been shaking me to the core lately surrounding my comfort. Truth is, lately, I've been uncomfortable. God has been revealing things through His Word time and time again that do not line up with the American Dream that I've so often chased. My flesh wants to be comfortable. My flesh wants to chase after worldly things rather than to walk in obedience to the life God has for me. The Spirit has reminded me time and time again that the sacrifices of carnal desires are infinitesimal compared to the eternal weight of glory He has in store (2 Cor. 4:17). For the cause of Christ, I want to be uncomfortable. I want to shake off the chains of patriotism and chasing after the American Dream for the sake of the Kingdom. I want to live my life as a Kingdom Bringer for Christ, not a dream chaser. May my own dreams and desires blow away life chaff in the wind as I take up my cross and follow Him.Truth is... Christianity is uncomfortable. When we walk in obedience, we will not look like the world-- and that's uncomfortable. Standing up for what you believe in when you're sometimes standing alone is uncomfortable. Taking up your cross is uncomfortable. But it's worth it.
He has not called us to live comfortably, friends. He has called us to follow Him, to make disciples, to make Him known. Are we living comfortably, or are we taking up our cross and running hard after Him?
To quote one of the most poignant questions posed in the book turned movie Insanity of God: Is Jesus worth it?
No comments:
Post a Comment