Being A Servant
Many people desire to be important. They want to be the boss of some company or some department. Their ambition is to make a lot of money in the process and to be able to enjoy it by buying a lot of nice things and traveling. I guess you could say that is a version of the American Dream. In reality it is pretty self-serving, isn't it?
Yesterday afternoon, as I watched the children from Uganda sing their songs and dance for joy, it struck me that we in America have a very flawed view of happiness and fulfillment. These children were orphans mainly because of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. They all have malaria from the mosquitoes biting them in their sleep. None of them has a bicycle, electricity, or running water. However, they were very happy and filled with hope that comes from knowing Jesus. The rest of their lives they want to be servants of Jesus while they pursue their vocation.
I can see that the American Dream has turned into a nightmare for many people. Yes, we are free to pursue our dreams, which is good, but when our dreams are selfish, it leads to despair instead of happiness. We lost our way in America when morality went out the door. Morality went out the door when we decided we did not want to be a Christian nation. What I mean by a Christian nation is a country that is not ashamed to say that we follow the Judeo-Christian values. I know we are not a Theocracy, but for many years, we did put morality and values first. Now, that is all but gone.
For us to get back on the right path we need to have the attitude of those African children. We need to be thankful for what Jesus did for us when He became our Servant and died on the Cross for us. Then, we need to take up our cross and follow Him in a life of service. Only then will we have true happiness and fulfillment.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 20-22.
Yesterday afternoon, as I watched the children from Uganda sing their songs and dance for joy, it struck me that we in America have a very flawed view of happiness and fulfillment. These children were orphans mainly because of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. They all have malaria from the mosquitoes biting them in their sleep. None of them has a bicycle, electricity, or running water. However, they were very happy and filled with hope that comes from knowing Jesus. The rest of their lives they want to be servants of Jesus while they pursue their vocation.
I can see that the American Dream has turned into a nightmare for many people. Yes, we are free to pursue our dreams, which is good, but when our dreams are selfish, it leads to despair instead of happiness. We lost our way in America when morality went out the door. Morality went out the door when we decided we did not want to be a Christian nation. What I mean by a Christian nation is a country that is not ashamed to say that we follow the Judeo-Christian values. I know we are not a Theocracy, but for many years, we did put morality and values first. Now, that is all but gone.
For us to get back on the right path we need to have the attitude of those African children. We need to be thankful for what Jesus did for us when He became our Servant and died on the Cross for us. Then, we need to take up our cross and follow Him in a life of service. Only then will we have true happiness and fulfillment.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 20-22.