Over Mother Earth's lifetime, there have been up, downs, revelations and growth. Because I am an American, the best moments of America's past most directly effect me. To quote, here just a few of the great things of our past:
The 25 Greatest Moments In American History
1776: The Declaration of Independence is signed. Americans officially begin their fight for freedom.
1789: The Constitution is ratified.
1791: The Bill of Rights is ratified.
1805: The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition become the first Americans to reach the Pacific ocean.
1863: Abraham Lincoln frees the slaves in the South, technically at least, with the Emancipation Proclamation.
1903: The Wright Brothers are the "first in flight."
1908: The Model-T Ford, the first car cheap enough for the general public to afford, becomes available.
1918: WW1 ends in victory for the Allied forces after the Germans surrender.
1920: For the first time, American women are allowed to vote.
1945: WW2 ends in victory for the Allied forces after the Japanese surrender.
1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
1969: Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon -- An amazing feat that showcased American ingenuity and technology.
1989: The Berlin Wall came tumbling down which symbolized the break-up of the Soviet Union and the victory of the United States in the Cold War.
All of these things were glorious and they really moved America in the right direction. When looking back with sentimental value these things are heart warming. But are we really free from what we think we are?
Women achieved the right to vote in 1920
That was only 93 years ago.
The 25 Worst Moments In American History
1814: British forces burn down the White House during the War of 1812.
1838: The Trail of Tears. 4000 Cherokees die during a forced relocation to the West.
1857: The Dred Scott Decision. The Supreme Court essentially rules that black people are nothing more than property like a chair or couch.
1865: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. One of our greatest Presidents, if not our greatest President, was murdered soon after the beginning of his second term.
1918: The influenza pandemic begins at Fort Riley, Kansas. By the time it was over, 25% of the US population would become sick and by some estimates, well over half a million Americans died as result.
1929: A massive drop in value of the stock market helped trigger the Great Depression which lasted until the increased economic activity spurred by WW2 got us going back in the right direction.
1941: Pearl Harbor. "A date which will live in infamy" indeed.
1942: The US government came to the conclusion that interning Japanese-American citizens was the best of a number of bad options . Roughly a hundred thousand Japanese-Americans ended up in camps.
1963: In an event that scarred the American psyche and produced countless conspiracy theories, John F. Kennedy is assassinated.
1968: The Tet Offensive was a crushing defeat for North Vietnamese forces but was incorrectly portrayed as a huge victory for them by the American media. This was a key event in destroying the American public's support for the war.
1968: America's greatest civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, is assassinated.
1973: The Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision leads to the legalization of abortion nation wide and the deaths of countless millions of innocent children.
1974: Richard Nixon resigns after being disgraced by Watergate, a scandal which shook American faith in the government.
2001: 9/11. Terrorist madmen attack the Twin Towers and Pentagon, kill nearly 3000 Americans, and set off a war on terrorism
And those are only up to 2001, there have been numerous terrible things happening.
What are we really free of?
U.S. women still earned only 77 cents on the male dollar in 2008, according to the latest census statistics.
Almost 20% of American children live in poverty.
Murder statistics from 2011: 8,583 killed by guns. 333,964 killed by Planned Parenthood abortions
But yet,
we still have hope.
In GOD.
He will never fail us and he makes all things work together for our good. He never wants to purposely hurt us. He put us each in our time period for a reason. Because if we truly let go and let Him in our life, give up our worldly desires, give up or worldly needs because all we need is to trust and seek Him. He is ALL that we need. We were put here for a reason. I was born during a time of corruption, poverty, sexualization, sin, and technology FOR A REASON. If we do not take advantage of this, we are selling our self and our purpose, short. HE will be coming for us. We must trust in His timing and his alone. We must be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry". We waste our time worrying and focusing on our own wants and "needs". We must pour His love over us. Spend time with Him. It can be as simple as listening to worship music. There is something about worshiping that just blocks out evil spirits. With growth towards God, the number of struggles increase, but we must charge on. Stand strong and trust in God. He will do all things for your good. As long as you stand true and faithful to Him, He will always bring you through any situation or circumstance. "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either." (Luke 6:29) This is a powerful statement. Our physical coldness does not concern God, only the coldness of our hearts. The clothing of our choice and the reactions it gets does not effect God, only what we decide to clothe our thoughts with. Our culture is constantly obsessed with what is popular and what is cool. We are not called to fit in, we are called to stand out, to live as Jesus did. He was UNCOMMON. He was not a man who just sat back, listened to secular music, dressed in the expensive clothes as a means to be respected. He went above and beyond, never sinned, and led the most uncommon life in history and to be lived. He did not waste his time with the rich, he spent his time with the broken, the sick and the sinners. He went where He was really needed and where He could make a difference. A divine difference.
Our lives should be so infected with the love of God, that the absence of His presence makes us sick. (http://jarridwilson.com/)Our life with God shouldn't be about fitting Him in when we have extra time during our busy days. It should be about fitting time for our worldly deeds when we have extra time while worshiping God. Which will never happen. We can never serve Him enough. We are called to constantly pursue Him and a relationship with Him.We are called to, "Rejoice ALWAYS, pray CONTINUOUSLY, give thanks in ALL circumstances" We are Not called to rejoice once a week at the Sunday church service, we are called to rejoice ALWAYS. We are not called to pray, maybe, once a day at night before we sleep. We are called to pray CONTINUOUSLY. That means every moment of every day. This is not a tall order compared to Jesus being beat to a bloody pulp for our worldy sins yesterday, today, and forever. We are called to give thanks in ALL circumstances. Not just once a year, rushing through it to get to the turkey and pumpkin pie. Nor are we to give thanks only when we are to get something in return. We are called to give thanks ALWAYS. In ALL circumstances. That means that as you lay down to die of cancer, or as you are being stabbed, or as you sit at your grandma's funeral, you are called to give thanks. For God makes all things work together for our good. Whether we see its purpose or not, it has a purpose and so do you. There is no excuse for laziness, weak excuses, or impatience. No excuse to sit there and keep quiet when someone speaks of your Lord in vain or with ignorance. There is no excuse for any of it. He is the ONLY thing we need.
Because of all of this we can feel freedom from all of the things that oppress us, whether it be inequality wherever we may be, homelessness, poverty, abuse, etc. All pressures can be lifted from our shoulders because we have the almighty bodyguard and heart-guard.
LET GO. & LET GOD.
The 25 Greatest Moments In American History
1776: The Declaration of Independence is signed. Americans officially begin their fight for freedom.
1789: The Constitution is ratified.
1791: The Bill of Rights is ratified.
1805: The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition become the first Americans to reach the Pacific ocean.
1863: Abraham Lincoln frees the slaves in the South, technically at least, with the Emancipation Proclamation.
1903: The Wright Brothers are the "first in flight."
1908: The Model-T Ford, the first car cheap enough for the general public to afford, becomes available.
1918: WW1 ends in victory for the Allied forces after the Germans surrender.
1920: For the first time, American women are allowed to vote.
1945: WW2 ends in victory for the Allied forces after the Japanese surrender.
1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
1969: Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon -- An amazing feat that showcased American ingenuity and technology.
1989: The Berlin Wall came tumbling down which symbolized the break-up of the Soviet Union and the victory of the United States in the Cold War.
All of these things were glorious and they really moved America in the right direction. When looking back with sentimental value these things are heart warming. But are we really free from what we think we are?
Women achieved the right to vote in 1920
That was only 93 years ago.
The 25 Worst Moments In American History
1814: British forces burn down the White House during the War of 1812.
1838: The Trail of Tears. 4000 Cherokees die during a forced relocation to the West.
1857: The Dred Scott Decision. The Supreme Court essentially rules that black people are nothing more than property like a chair or couch.
1865: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. One of our greatest Presidents, if not our greatest President, was murdered soon after the beginning of his second term.
1918: The influenza pandemic begins at Fort Riley, Kansas. By the time it was over, 25% of the US population would become sick and by some estimates, well over half a million Americans died as result.
1929: A massive drop in value of the stock market helped trigger the Great Depression which lasted until the increased economic activity spurred by WW2 got us going back in the right direction.
1941: Pearl Harbor. "A date which will live in infamy" indeed.
1942: The US government came to the conclusion that interning Japanese-American citizens was the best of a number of bad options . Roughly a hundred thousand Japanese-Americans ended up in camps.
1963: In an event that scarred the American psyche and produced countless conspiracy theories, John F. Kennedy is assassinated.
1968: The Tet Offensive was a crushing defeat for North Vietnamese forces but was incorrectly portrayed as a huge victory for them by the American media. This was a key event in destroying the American public's support for the war.
1968: America's greatest civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, is assassinated.
1973: The Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision leads to the legalization of abortion nation wide and the deaths of countless millions of innocent children.
1974: Richard Nixon resigns after being disgraced by Watergate, a scandal which shook American faith in the government.
2001: 9/11. Terrorist madmen attack the Twin Towers and Pentagon, kill nearly 3000 Americans, and set off a war on terrorism
And those are only up to 2001, there have been numerous terrible things happening.
What are we really free of?
U.S. women still earned only 77 cents on the male dollar in 2008, according to the latest census statistics.
Almost 20% of American children live in poverty.
Murder statistics from 2011: 8,583 killed by guns. 333,964 killed by Planned Parenthood abortions
But yet,
we still have hope.
In GOD.
He will never fail us and he makes all things work together for our good. He never wants to purposely hurt us. He put us each in our time period for a reason. Because if we truly let go and let Him in our life, give up our worldly desires, give up or worldly needs because all we need is to trust and seek Him. He is ALL that we need. We were put here for a reason. I was born during a time of corruption, poverty, sexualization, sin, and technology FOR A REASON. If we do not take advantage of this, we are selling our self and our purpose, short. HE will be coming for us. We must trust in His timing and his alone. We must be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry". We waste our time worrying and focusing on our own wants and "needs". We must pour His love over us. Spend time with Him. It can be as simple as listening to worship music. There is something about worshiping that just blocks out evil spirits. With growth towards God, the number of struggles increase, but we must charge on. Stand strong and trust in God. He will do all things for your good. As long as you stand true and faithful to Him, He will always bring you through any situation or circumstance. "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either." (Luke 6:29) This is a powerful statement. Our physical coldness does not concern God, only the coldness of our hearts. The clothing of our choice and the reactions it gets does not effect God, only what we decide to clothe our thoughts with. Our culture is constantly obsessed with what is popular and what is cool. We are not called to fit in, we are called to stand out, to live as Jesus did. He was UNCOMMON. He was not a man who just sat back, listened to secular music, dressed in the expensive clothes as a means to be respected. He went above and beyond, never sinned, and led the most uncommon life in history and to be lived. He did not waste his time with the rich, he spent his time with the broken, the sick and the sinners. He went where He was really needed and where He could make a difference. A divine difference.
Our lives should be so infected with the love of God, that the absence of His presence makes us sick. (http://jarridwilson.com/)Our life with God shouldn't be about fitting Him in when we have extra time during our busy days. It should be about fitting time for our worldly deeds when we have extra time while worshiping God. Which will never happen. We can never serve Him enough. We are called to constantly pursue Him and a relationship with Him.We are called to, "Rejoice ALWAYS, pray CONTINUOUSLY, give thanks in ALL circumstances" We are Not called to rejoice once a week at the Sunday church service, we are called to rejoice ALWAYS. We are not called to pray, maybe, once a day at night before we sleep. We are called to pray CONTINUOUSLY. That means every moment of every day. This is not a tall order compared to Jesus being beat to a bloody pulp for our worldy sins yesterday, today, and forever. We are called to give thanks in ALL circumstances. Not just once a year, rushing through it to get to the turkey and pumpkin pie. Nor are we to give thanks only when we are to get something in return. We are called to give thanks ALWAYS. In ALL circumstances. That means that as you lay down to die of cancer, or as you are being stabbed, or as you sit at your grandma's funeral, you are called to give thanks. For God makes all things work together for our good. Whether we see its purpose or not, it has a purpose and so do you. There is no excuse for laziness, weak excuses, or impatience. No excuse to sit there and keep quiet when someone speaks of your Lord in vain or with ignorance. There is no excuse for any of it. He is the ONLY thing we need.
Because of all of this we can feel freedom from all of the things that oppress us, whether it be inequality wherever we may be, homelessness, poverty, abuse, etc. All pressures can be lifted from our shoulders because we have the almighty bodyguard and heart-guard.
LET GO. & LET GOD.