I Built It?

I can't tell you how many times I've sat in a Bible class and heard the teacher pose some form of the question, "Why do we fail as Christians?" And as expected, many people deliver the correct answer. They take a sip of their freshly brewed coffee and say,

"Because we only rely on ourselves. And we take credit for our successes when they weren't really ours to begin with."

The head nods begin and we go about our business.

Yet I can't flip through news coverage and conventions without hearing the trendy chant, "We built it. We built it."

It's like we forgot our former answer. Suddenly I am the king of the universe again and everything I've obtained is because I'm stinkin' awesome.

Do I feel like I worked my tush off to finally get a position within the bank? Yes. Do I think I kind of deserved a break after sleepless, tearful nights? Yes. Do I think I am a vital part of the workings of the bank, however small my role may be. Yes. But did I build this bank? Did the guy who created the bank build the bank? No.

We are all relying on each other, working together, climbing over each other sometimes, to get to where we are going. And God set things in motion to be this way. That's why he created marriage. That's why he gave Adam a companion. That's why he had numerous apostles.

And by saying this I am not saying that your grandfather did not work from sun up to sun down on his family farm. I'm not saying he didn't provide the integral foundation it needed to survive. But-- as much as you may admire him-- he did not build the tractor. He did not run the store that sold his crop. He needed expansion. And that's OK.

I'm not here to advertise for anyone-- because frankly, I don't really care for any of our choices this year. But I am here to say something that has been on my heart for a long time:

Christianity needs to stop getting into the political hot tub. Because when we do, we start looking like $2.99 flip flops at Old Navy.

Like when the opposing candidate has a marital indiscretion and we pounce him with a red letter "A." But our candidate is the front-runner in numerous divorces and we seek prayers for him and assume he has "changed."

Like when we listen to people spout hatred, however disguised, and we cheer them on and stand up for them. But the person who sits two feet in front of us at work has no defender.

Like when we say that grace is offered no matter how far we've strayed, but we put a big bold price tag on the mercy we show other people.

Like when we say that a certain religious group isn't affiliated with Christianity, but when that believer is in a position of power he suddenly represents our values and beliefs.

Like when we alienate people from our fellowship because they view issues differently.

Like when we think that any of these men truly, emphatically see abortion and social issues as anything but a poll point.

I don't usually get this fired up. I apologize. My regular readers will probably beg me to go back to my funny banter. And I most certainly will.

My purpose is not to offend, but to enlighten. I'm not saying Christians shouldn't vote or become involved at some level, but I am saying that we need to stop intertwining the two so much that we can no longer see the discrepancies we are creating between the Bible and the voting booth.

Follow your dreams. Work hard. Own a company. But praise God that it wasn't just you that built it.