It lasted for decades. Although the friction inside me was real, it felt like Bruce Bannon wrestling to hold back the Hulk. The conflict remained well into my adult years. You see, I was told that God was good and full of mercy and that He blesses the upright and brings low the prideful. But everything I’d witnessed up to that point painted a picture of God completely different from what I’d been told. How and why would a good God bless a nation that traded slaves and wrote Jim Crow laws against black folk? Then, in 1991 after watching Rodney King get beaten by several police officers, and tuning into the non-stop news coverage, it felt like not only was God NOT merciful, He was utterly useless to my day-to-day life. Not too long after that, one of my cousins was murdered by a rival gang member, which just poured octane on an already raging fire in me. It felt like the edges of my soul were being seared by an indifferent, and aloof God. However, over the years that followed, that indifferent and aloof God gave me a reality check that lasted for decades.
A STEADY DIET OF RED PILLS
After 25 years of being taught about the nature of God at a church that put the Word of God above all else, not only did I see the light, I was blinded by the sheer beauty of God’s goodness. My pastor at the time had earned a Ph.D. in theology so he was no lightweight with regard to the biblical text and church history. He would regale the congregation with stories of God’s unending grace. He told us about Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch resistance hero who the Nazis captured during World War II. Even after being sent to a concentration camp, God would give her reasons to trust Him and love those who murdered members of her family. Somehow, Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom was able to resist the temptation of hatred by being arrested and handcuffed by a loving God.
HOW SWEET THE SOUND
My pastor had a horrible singing voice—horrible is being kind. But every now and again he would start singing “Amazing Grace”. After his half-baked attempt at a rendition of that song, he told us about the origins behind the song. It turns out, that the writer of that song, John Newton was a slave trader, who after seeing a glimpse of God’s goodness, became an abolitionist and an Anglican minister. I thought, “how is that possible?” Why would God bless a stinking slave trader? The answer was simple, God was rich in mercy and grace. Just think about people who are rich with money like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Bill (Jeffery Epstein) Gates. They toss money around like they have an endless supply of it. That’s what God does with His mercy, He tosses it around like He’s got money to burn and will give it away to everyone that passes by. That’s amazing grace!
KNOWING GOD IS EVERYTHING
A recent article in the L.A. Times mocked conservatives for calling Americans to come back to God and faith. Mocking that notion, the journalist opined as to why and how conservatives would do that? He concluded that it was merely a political stunt writing:
“They [conservatives] clearly have a period in mind in which they believe God was happier with the direction of the country, but our history makes it impossible to pinpoint a date without looking racist. So they tend to talk in nostalgic Judeo-Christian generalities.”
The journalist is clearly not a Christian or at best, he’s a Christian without knowledge of who and what God is.
My pastor often taught us about the attributes of God. He also taught us about man’s fall from grace in great detail. Needless to say, as much as God is perfect, man is not. But! And this is a BIG BUT! When it comes to God, He can only be pleased with our journey towards perfection since He knows we will never be perfect as He is perfect. Since man will never reach perfection thus, neither will our country. However, like John Newton, and Corrie ten Boom, America is and has always been pointed in the right direction—the direction of liberty for all.
THE BOTTOM LINE
America has always been pointed toward liberty. America has always been pointed in the direction of all men being created equal, being endowed with our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them, being LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. That’s how and why God blesses America. Our founding fathers pointed us in the right direction. They pointed us toward liberty. Liberty to worship God as free individuals, not subject to a king’s rulership. Can that be said about China, Iran, or North Korea? NO! That’s how God can bless a country with a dark past. Because as the writer of “Amazing Grace” said:
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world, but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” — John Newton
The same can be said about America. Yes, we are not the country we ought to be. Sure, we are not the country we want to be. But we are NOT the country we used to be. And just like men will never achieve perfection, neither will our country. But as long as we are headed in the right direction—the direction of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, God will continue to bless America. That is why God blessed America. Even in the face of slavery. So pray that Biden and his flying monkeys don’t derail us off our track towards liberty and from what our great founding father intended.