Twenty-sixteen brought the world a lot of heartbreak. Tragedy struck everywhere we turned, it seemed. It's apparent that the world is winding down, but I truly believe that the Kingdom of God is winding up in its place. With every day comes the decision to go forth and be the body of Christ. With every person who chooses to do so, a new light shines where darkness once thrived. So no, I don't hate the whole year of 2016. I hate the sin that wrecked people's lives, I hate the injustices that dominated the news and I hate that no one talked about the miracles that also occurred. Our media is out of proportion; people are out there doing the beautiful work of God every single day and they're lucky to get a Facebook post from their neighbor.
So, 2017, I want one thing from you. Talk about our Savior, just a little bit. For some of us, our faith is our everything. It's the language we speak, the actions we perform, how we love people. It's how we find peace in the midst of brokenness and where we discover joy independent of our circumstances. I know that the American people have many different beliefs; I'm not asking for uniformity in our religions. I just wish I could see the story about the Lowe's in Texas that hired a disabled veteran and his service dog in between the stories about bombings and drug wars.
We're weary, becoming accustomed to the distress. People can't talk about "the shooting" without clarifying which one. The one where the police shot the African American man running in the opposite direction? The one where extremists killed multiple Dallas police officers? The Ohio State student? Negative headlines run through my brain all day. I cried for hours as friends across the country called, frantically asking if I was safe during the Dallas attack. We are downtrodden, slowly losing any and all hope. What good does that do, in all honesty? Yes, you should be aware of the dangers and faults of society- but what good does it do?
I believe with all my heart that Jesus saves. I know that's not something I share with everyone out there, but I know it to be true. Not true for me. True in itself. The things Jesus is up to are changing people's lives for the better. His power invalidates every wrong doing, strips authority from the evil circulating our country and no ones talking about it. We're practically handing authority over to darkness and watching it destroy our brothers and sisters. Everyone's eyes are on the enemy, waiting to see what he's going to do next. We gave him an audience and he's stealing the show.
Please, start talking about Jesus. Give faith and hope and love a sliver of our attention. Our twelve year old sisters are watching TV and scrolling through the internet, and not a thing they find will encourage them to be a light. We're telling them it's too late. The damage is done. We're too far gone. Well guess what?
No one is too far gone for God. Not even America, not even the world. Not even you.
