The Other Half of the Marshall Equation

Hello,

I guess I get to post on this too! I'll be on from time to time sharing my thoughts (which can be very random), but this as good a place as any to put what goes on in my brain in the written word.

Here's something I wrote the other day.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in my random thoughts are not necessarily the views or opinions of my wife, Kara. She can take no responsibility for the stuff that pops in my head! ;-)

6/16/10

After some thought and a little push from a movie I watched last night, I feel like I’m not really doing a service to my fellow man through my work. I feel I’m using the God-given talents I’ve been blessed with to benefit those who already have plenty instead of helping those who are needy. Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me.” Are the people we work for, “the least of these?” Who are we really serving? Jesus came to serve, not to be served. Are we living that?

If you look at the big picture, young bright minds in this country are encouraged to follow the proverbial dangling carrot. In America, that dangling carrot comes in the form of a big house, cars for everyone, stable job, substantial income with all the insurance benefits and bonuses that come with it. Those jobs, unfortunately, aren’t found in industries that benefit mankind; rather they’re found in the financial industry. An industry of high-stakes gambling on every commodity and “thing” you can think of.

Everything has a price and those prices fluctuate. Everything…from the things we eat, to the packaging they’re packed in, to the truck they’re delivered by, to the time it takes them to get there. Even the life of the driver has a dollar value to his/her employer and insurance agent. All of it is bet on, bought, sold, and traded…by the best and brightest minds in the country. Rather than using those talents to solve some of man-kind’s greatest problems, we want to see how fast we can reach the top of the corporate ladder and enrich ourselves with wealth and materialism.

The main problem with the current system is that’s where the greatest financial rewards can be found. So instead of a math/science whiz going into medicine or research, he/she goes into business and finance, lands a cushy corporate gig that works you into the ground for 40 years and gives you a giant cash reward for your efforts.

But to what end? What price?

Have these new-wave go-getters done anything to help the betterment of our fellow man? Have we completely missed the point somewhere down the line? Have our own selfish goals of acquisition and consumption created a vortex of which there is no escape?

Maybe this trend needs to happen. Continue spinning out of control. Maybe the current state of our economy and society is a sign of things to come…a cleansing perhaps. Just like a forest coming back healthier and more vibrant after it experiences a forest fire. Sure it sucks when it happens, lots of wildlife suffer, and it takes time to recover, but the new beneficiaries of that recovery are far better off than their ancestors.

I guess I hope and pray for a realignment of ideals in this country. I hope and pray that people can start looking outside of what they see in the mirror. Realizing life isn’t just about them. We live in a country that was founded upon Christian principles and a Constitution that starts with “We The People.” So why are we so self-absorbed? If Jesus were alive, would he be proud to call this a “Christian” nation? Would He be proud of what we’ve put our energy and resources in to? Would He be proud of how and what we spend our time and money on? Would He be proud of the individuals we elect to represent us and make our laws?

I wholeheartedly agree that we need to change. But it starts with a change in principles. If you’re wondering what principles we should change to, I don’t think we have to go any further than God’s Word. The answers to our country’s problems are easily found in The Gospel…Matthew chapters 5-7 perfectly explain what we should be doing, how to do it, and what should be important.

How do we call others to live like this? How do we change the greatest country in the world? I guess we just start living it out. We start by living Christ’s example. We exude Christ in everything we do, everything we buy, everything we sell, everything we say, everything we see, everything we think. We live that example in our jobs, businesses, marriages, in parenting, friendships, relationships…everything.

We don’t have to say anything. We just have to live it. And if it doesn’t catch on, and the fire continues to spread, we can at least go to bed at the end of the day and rest easy knowing we did what was right…what God intended for us to do with this life.

There’s no dress-rehearsal in life, no do-over, no mulligan. We get one shot at it. Do we have plenty of chances to screw up? Yes. But we also have the same number of chances to turn from our old ways and change. I think that’s what God wants us to do. Live by His example and do His will. It’s His life anyway. He created it…and everything we know. We ought to do what he intended for us to do. It’s the only gift we can give back.