It's THEIR problem?

America's biggest challenge today is not economic. It is spiritual! We are nation of irresponsible, pleasure loving, 'live for today' people who refuse to grow up and face the consequences of a four decade binge of self-indulgence. We insist that somebody rescue us from ourselves.

It's a national illness. For example, public schools, which used to exist to educate our children, now are asked to be a second home- sort of like an institutional grandma's house. Schools serve breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner to kids whose parents are either too distracted or too lazy to care for the children they brought into the world. Families and churches used to rally 'round the sick and aged to care for them. Now we have vast government funded programs that pay people to do this. Businesses who have made poor decisions send representatives to Washington, DC to seek $billions to pay off their bad debts and we all say, "We can't afford to let them go broke," denying a fundamental part of our capitalistic system which is designed to reward those who make wise choices with profitability. Now, foolish executives blame their failures on somebody else. Everyone points to someone else and says, "It's their problem! Rescue me."

It's personal, too. Marriages are collapsing at phenomenal rates. He blames her; she blames him. The truth is that in most situations both live childishly, refusing to discipline themselves, excusing their sin and selfishness saying; "It's his/her problem!" People blame the banks and credit card companies for their crushing debt. Did Citi-card make us buy all that stuff we have in our house? Did GMAC force us to buy a car that we really could not afford to own? Who signed a mortgage that offered fairy tale terms that were literally too good to be true? But, the broke insist, "It's their problem! Rescue me." (Yes, I realize there are market forces that individuals cannot control that produce crisis, too. My point is to emphasize personal responsibility.)

Real change is not possible until a person stops hiding from the truth. A cornerstone of recovery from any problem is to first admit that it exists. Who can deal with that which they insist is not real? AA teaches those who become part of the group to say, "Hi, I am Jane and I am an alcoholic." Is that hard? Sure is! But, when a person owes her problem, she is ready to change. I am not suggesting that we have the power to save ourselves - from addiction, from sin, or from the troubles of life. We need others desperately. That's the core of the Christmas story. God saw a world in need and stepped into becoming our Immanuel, "God in flesh!" to be the one who 'saves us from our sins!' However, before He can be our Savior, we have to acknowledge; yes, we must own our sin without excuse.

The Bible, front to finish, teaches a principle of accountability and responsibility. Before He will transform us, God asks us to face ourselves and tell the truth: to ourselves, to others, and to Him. Here's how John says it.

"This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, (seeing what God sees!) God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God." (1 John 1:5-10, The Message)

We can be saved - nationally and personally - but not until we start to live in the Light, exposed and vulnerable, confessing our sin. When we do, God will save us and then lead us into the discipline of the Spirit which produces a life of holiness, wholeness, and leads us to "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" (2 Corinthians 4:17, NKJV) Here's a prayer. Billy Graham closed thousands of meetings with George Beverly Shea's rumbling voice leading people in singing it. It's a prayerful song, we all need to pray - again and again. It reminds us that it's not 'their problem.' When we pray it, we confess, "It's my problem and Jesus can meet me in it to save and heal me."

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome pardon cleanse relieve.
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God I come I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind,
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just As I Am
Elliott, Charlotte / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain