Have We Forgotten?

When I was a young girl, I was taught a few very good things in my church that were reinforced at my home, such as the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Golden Rule. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have a perfect childhood but the one thing we did have was the understanding that we weren’t perfect and needed God. It was our trust in God and God’s faithfulness to His word that gave us hope to keep us moving forward.

Try to image what our society would be like today if everyone knew these rules not just by memory but in the heart:

Ten Commandments:

• Thou shalt have no other gods before Me
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
• Thou shalt not take the name, of the Lord thy God in vain
• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
• Honor thy father and thy mother
• Thou shalt not kill
• Thou shalt not commit adultery
• Thou shalt not steal
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
• Thou shalt not covet

These are very clear rules to live by. They aren’t watered down by likes, dislikes or preferences, they are rules to live by as commanded by God. They are tried and true.

The Pledge of Allegiance reminds us to make a pledge of allegiance to our country under God’s direction:

Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of American

And to the Republic for which is stands

One nation, under God, indivisible

With liberty and justice for all

These few words can be the tool to teach our children to make a pledge and commit to our country to stand under God as one (not able to be separated) as a nation.

The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12)

So in all things, do to others what you would want them to do to you…

Isn’t this the answer to all the division within our country today? Equality. There is no one above the other, we are all created equal. We should treat other people the way we want to be treated. In addition to these life rules, we have to forgive. Sometimes we have to forgive again to move out of the past into a brighter future. It’s like driving a car, the windshield of a car is very big and allows you to see where you are going and to avoid danger. The rear view mirror is small and will distract you from what is ahead of you.

We can’t trust in people as a replacement for God without disappointment. We are all equal “under” God. But when we put our trust in other people as a replacement for God, we elevate those people and unknowingly lower ourselves. Our belief of inequality begins by trusting in a person more than trusting in God. We can put our trust in God and expect Him to do what He has promised without lowering ourselves. The Bible can teach us everything that God has promised and what God has promised is everything we need.