Watching your 401(k) disappear is never a good feeling. All that work, all that saving, all that energy feel like they are wasted. I’ve only been putting money into savings for a few years. Some people have spent 50 years making responsible decisions, saving money, doing the “right thing” only to see it all destroyed in a few months time. People are angry. But should we be?
The same is true about the country. I love the United States. I think it’s the greatest country in the history of the world. I think we’ve done more to protect, support, help, and provide for the world than any country in history. So it pains me to see the talk of an end to US supremacy. But should it?
There’s no question these events are awful. Tragic even. But none of this really matters to a Christian. Why? Because we don’t live for more things. Sure it’s great if we have them. But that’s not the point. There’s a reason Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven. Not because being rich is bad, but because Jesus knew that wealth consumes us.
We live for the Kingdom and anything that advances the Kingdom. If the first Christians lived with joy and happiness as they were being tortured to death, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to act in love as our 401(k)’s fall apart. If Jews lived under the oppression of foreign rulers, but still managed to love God, is it impossible for us to live in a time when the US isn’t the number one country and still be obedient to God?
Life is hard now. It’s not easy or comfortable. But from a Kingdom perspective, is that bad?
