IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
# 183
April 17, 2014
“The Greatest Gift”
Who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Nobody I know. However, the gift of which I speak doesn’t come with ribbons and brightly colored paper. It comes with the deepest message of all, the love of a God whose boundless affection for the human condition forgives even the most hideous sin.
When sitting in a church service, I try to find something in the message that challenges me to be a better person the next week. Unable to shoulder all the burdens that life can throw at me, I must turn to a power that envelops not only one’s body but also one’s soul.
There is nothing wrong about being vulnerable. We all are in some way or another. Yet, vulnerability can be a true asset. In a world where success holds out as paramount and upward mobility takes a toll on even the most capable person, nothing is more valuable than faith.
In a world where individual power eclipses all other achievements, true worth finds itself threatened. Over the past few decades, America has witnessed unparalleled attacks on our Judeo-Christian heritage. In the name of what some call tolerance, we find ourselves at the foot of a tree losing a bit of bark every day. Chipping away at its trunk are those who seek to destroy faith because they recognize its power and fear it.
There is nothing wrong with fearing God. God represents both rules and love. Without rules, life lacks structure; and without structure, society dissolves.
America melts and most of us stand back and say nothing.
Whether Christian or Jew, the Lord has given us His Love. Whether we believe in Jesus Christ or await another Messiah, the Lord’s love does not fail. It does not end. It is, for each of us, the Greatest Gift.
We would do well not to fear acting out against our fellows but to fear not acting in the name of God. Will we stand by and see our faith assailed and removed from the public square? Will we cede tiny percentage of our population the power to mock our God and chip away at our religious freedom? It took a lot of bravery for the people of Biblical times to stand up for their values. Are we less brave than they? Think about it.