Take a stand – for the country, for the world, for YOU

There is so much DRAMA today in our world and to be fair, there is a lot going on. Prices on just about everything in America are up. Go to the grocery store and see what you really can get for let’s say $100 – $100 worth of spending in the year 2000 would now cost $172.

One more for you; in 2000 fuel cost $1.51 a gallon! What is it in your state today? Here in Illinois, it is $3.55 a gallon!  We all know that inflation, pricing, economics are always in discussion, no matter the year. But just this year our food has gone up an average of 6%, doesn’t seem like a lot, until you go shopping and see what you really can get for that $100.

Politics is ramping up and the “show” just seems ridiculous. Left vs right, democrats vs republicans and so on. Sad to think that I believe many of them have forgotten who they are supposed to serve and even sadder that the way things seem to break down with the mentality of “us vs they.”

I get it, there is no real clear anything within our government, or at least it feels that way and if you are not careful social media, news outlets, other media will tell you what they want you to know. No, I am not being a conspiracy theorist here, it is true. Having been blessed to grow up in a world without social and other media and relied upon local news was much better. News reporting has drastically changed and it is not for the better. It has become about ratings, dollars and getting people to see things to benefit someone – somewhere, depending on who is “pulling the strings.”

Let’s not forget the battles over climate change, animal extinction, overpopulation of countries and conspiracy theories about how some of the most recent natural disasters have happened!

Then there are the “discussions” about building walls and closing borders to the war in Ukraine and now Israel. Every day, tensions are rising at alarming rates with protests showing up in many different cities and sadly a majority of those are ending up with minor violence and arrests.

The battles, the wars over human race are incredible. Just because someone looks different, speaks different or comes from a different place should not mean that they get harassed, picked on, threatened and more. I don’t even know how we can make that assumption of anyone! Yet, we have been “told” through actual verbal, media and more for hundreds of years, thousands of years that some of us are simply better than others. Really? Is that true? Are you better than your neighbor? Are you better than people in a different country? What makes you / me so special? We are the human race, sure we all look different. Our skin tones vary, shapes vary, hair and eye colors vary, but where does this sense of “I am better” than you come from?

I wonder if (in part) that it comes out of comparing ourselves, which is a dangerous slope. You might be in great average health, not overweight, etc., but I am not, I am overweight. Does that make you better than me? Should I bow down to your existence and give you more of something or treat you differently? The answer is “no!” But we judge, we talk quietly or even loudly about others, a lot.

First things first – I don’t care who you are or how much or how little you have – you are not better than anyone else. You could be a superstar athlete, an actor, a mom, a doctor, a homeless person and you are not better than anyone else. What we need to understand is that we all make choices, we each choose our path and decide what we want to do, see, become and from all of that we are who we are. I know many people with a whole lot of money and I can tell you they are not happy people. And I have met some people that would be classified as poor / homeless and they are happy.

You want change? You want to see something happen for the better? You want people to get along better? YOU must do something then. Put action into your emotions, feelings, and thoughts. You cannot sit on the sidelines of life, complain about things, yet do nothing. Want a better country? Don’t just vote once every few years, get involved at a level you feel like you can make an impact and help become that change. You want better health? Do something, you can’t just talk about losing weight, you must do something. Remember, if you are overweight, it took action to get to the point too. I chose action over a 1 ½ years ago and I am almost down 60 pounds and I am still working. The pay off so far has been great with higher energy, better fitting clothes and just my mental well-being is better, but I chose to do something. You want to save the Florida Panther? Then get involved and do something!

So, by now you are wondering what is the point to this ramble. “Us vs they,” you’ve heard it before, “they” are keeping “us” down, holding “us” back and so on. You can apply those words to all races, politics and more. What about taking the “us” and the “they” and creating a “them?” What would it hurt to not just try, but do and make inroads with each other and create a better world for all instead of a few?

Thanks for stopping by the fire,
Pastor Dennis