Is That Fair? (Lake)

The Lord is loving to everyone . . . 

 - From Psalm 145

We approach the 243rd birthday of our nation.

When I was a teenager, all Americans joined in celebrating the bicentennial of the United States. The patriotic fervor was palpable, and we elected Jimmy Carter as President. Democrats as well as Republicans joined in with pride.

The young and old were part of it. All races, all creeds. The country had provided a unified front against the excesses of Vietnam and Watergate, and we were feeling good about ourselves.

But that's not like today.

There is a very obvious, present, and vocal element that is not proud of our country. We are not unified. The divisions among us are so great, we wonder if they can ever be resolved without one side exerting it's will over the other, with the fist, or with the gun. The differences have gone beyond just differing perspectives on the world. They have grown to bitter resentment that the rest of the country doesn't care what one thinks.

Our very opinions . . . the thoughts in our heads . . . are prohibited. Do not say what you're thinking; it could be a criminal offense!

That's not good.

How is it that the Lord can love everyone, in these conditions? When one side is so convinced it's right, and that the other is sinfully wrong, to the point of pure evil, well wouldn't these clear divisions provide an obvious side that God would abhor? How could He possibly not take sides when the evil is so clear?

Well, that's because He is "loving" to everyone. Not the "love" that is implied in the phrase "love is love." There is a greater love yet. Unselfish. Forgiving. Longsuffering. Eternal. Not at all based on a physical need.

This generation doesn't have that understanding of Real Love . . . it should not be making slogans that reference "love" while igniting hate.

God loves everybody, and it doesn't seem fair. But "fair" is another we use too much, without understanding it.

Americans may celebrate their independence, when they can understand their dissenters. Is America a country founded on God's love? Then let Americans love one another.