Our nation is experiencing difficult times. Our churches are also facing difficult times. After a lot of soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that the two things are connected.
Polls and surveys are constantly revealing our overall disappointment in government, the economy and foreign affairs, which only breeds fear of the future. The same is true in our churches. When the politics, power and economics take precedence rather than serving the Lord, the same thing happens — fear of the future.
When you are a child, you have faith in your parents, your bike, your dog and your toys. During a baseball game, every time you go up to bat, you have the expectation of hitting a game-winning home run. It is not until you are older and your parents divorce, your bike rusts and your favorite toy breaks that you realize that faith isn’t always enough. It’s time to put faith back in our country and our Lord.
I don’t believe that our nation will truly recover until we, as citizens of this great country, start to believe again and have faith that we are moving in the right direction. With faith, new homes will be built, new businesses will begin and unemployment numbers will drop. With faith, young couples can decide to get married without the fear and uncertainty of losing their jobs or homes. With faith, young couples can start planning their families. With faith, all things are possible.
Our churches won’t truly recover and begin to grow again until we turn our eyes away from the politics within the church and turn them toward God. Our churches and our country all need faith. Let’s all step up to the bat and have some faith!
Stephanie Hudson, Kilmarnock