I intended to write about a completely different topic this week, but as I read the above verses, something stirred deep in my heart. Madison is one of those safe places. It’s a small town where people still wave and strangers become neighbors. Families uproot their whole lives to settle here and raise their children in our quaint community. God and country still matter, and moral values are still upheld.
But this past week has caused my heart to ache in a way it hasn’t in a long time. On top of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, our small town had an incident involving gun violence with some of our juveniles resulting in severe injuries of one of the minors. Then a few days later, another minor was shot in a violent exchange, which resulted in his death.
Minors. Juveniles. Teenagers. Kids.
Even the suspect in the Charlie Kirk incident was only twenty-two.
Violence and anger. Assault and murder.
Why are these terrible actions running rampant among our young people?
What is happening to our society? Our cities? And our safe small towns?
What’s to Blame?
I could blame it on video game violence that is desensitizing our younger generation. Or I could point a finger at social media influencers who make light of aggression and violence. I could say the news is to blame for highlighting so many negative stories. Or I could even say that we have lost the general sense of social unity due to the regular disappearance into our screens. Any of these present a reasonable argument and create a perfect place for the blame to lie. But I think it’s all this, plus more.
We’ve collectively lost our love for God and as a result, lost the love for our neighbors.
We call ourselves Christians because we agree with the verse of the day that comes to our phones.
We call ourselves Christians because we align with the morality passed down from our grandparents.
We call ourselves Christians because we are members of a church.
We call ourselves Christians because our good outweighs our bad.
I’m reminded of a line from an older worship song: They’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Why Do I Claim Christ?
Do I call myself a Christian because I love God? Because I love others? Because the love that God so graciously bestowed upon me can’t help but seep out of every orifice on my body? Or is it because I can’t keep God’s grace and love to myself and I am compelled to live a life telling others about him?
Am I teaching the next generation that loving God and others is more than a verse of the day? More than good morals? More than going to church? And more than living a good life? Do they know the magnitude of what Jesus did on that cross for me? For them?
We are not promised tomorrow. Neither are any of the youth in our community.
Do we care about their eternity?
Are we showing and teaching them a better way?
Or are we allowing them to disappear behind the screens into an ungoverned world?
I don’t want to lose another one. How about you?
Let’s love our God this week with all we have. And then, show our neighbors that Jesus-kind-of-love. If we don’t, who will?