Brian, my eldest son left this weekend for his second deployment to Iraq. Before leaving, he shared his concerns with me about the stability of our country. I can see that it's discouraging for those who serve in the armed forces to see the direction our leaders have taken.
These burdens rest heavily upon the shoulder of those who are willing to pay the ultimate price. Soldiers lay it all on the line; their loyalty to country and fellowman is beyond reproach. They leave their job security with a considerable cut in pay, which places an added burden on their families. The college saving they had so carefully tucked away for their children's futures are compromised to compensate for their financial losses. (While some congressional employees are eligible for up to $60,000 of student loans freely paid by taxpayer's dollars.)
These brave men and women are willing to live under extreme mental and physical conditions because they believe in the sacred land of their inheritance. I watched with great sadness as my son kissed his wife and children goodbye. He hugged me, kissed my head and said, "I love you Mom" then he turn and walk into the unknown. My heart cracked as I thought about the millions of soldiers and families that have made this sacrifice.
Later that night I couldn't sleep. My mind was drowning in the many concerns that Brian had expressed a few days earlier. He was burdened over the loss of values and the moral decline in this country. I was looking through some books to find something to read when a piece of paper fell out and landed next to my feet. I don't believe things happen by chance or accident. Brian, this one is for you.
This is what was written on the paper.
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it pluralism. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefather and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"
I believe if the American people would acknowledge the truth in this prayer, there would be a glimmer of hope. We could begin to rebuild our nation based on the principles that it was founded upon. The truth of how far we have fallen is a frightening reality.
After this prayer was given, a number of legislators walked out in protest. In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Wright is pastor, logged more than 6,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church received international requests for copies of this prayer from many counties around the world!
Our nation is becoming polluted by ignorance and apathy. We are sitting back while the government steals the privileged birthright of this nation and we are being stripped of our inheritance. The freedoms that our forefathers fought to preserve are disappearing, one by one, while the people of this nation sit idly by.
Our government freely hands out our hard earned dollars to foreign countries while thousands of Americans are losing their jobs, homes and families. The housing crash has created tent cities all over America and entire families are without shelter. People are living in squaller with conditions worse than that of third world countries, while millions of homes across the United States sit empty!
Each year our government hands over billions of dollars to foreign countries, with the pathetic reality that many of these countries despise Americans. Our hard earned income is supporting countries that consider us virtual enemies, and they would turn on us in a heart beat!
Our government controls what crops we can plant, when and how. Working class citizens are taxed above and beyond that of comprehension, while our tax dollars are spent frivolously by a government that has lost its conscience and moral integrity. Law abiding American citizens are in violation if they forget to carry their drivers license, yet it's estimated that 12 million illegal aliens entered into this country in 2011 without a green card or visa. They are provided health care, food stamps, financial aide and subsidized housing from the money coming out of your wallets! This country is descending into a dark place where evil has become acceptable and good is persecuted and punished.
I have only one small voice, but I am using it daily to promote the love of God, the love of my country and the love of my fellowman. We can get America back, one voice at a time, if we bond together and take a stand. We are the masses, we are the majority, we are the people and this country is our birthright! Politicians are paid employees by hire; the power in this country lies within its people. If we continue on this destructive path, our noble inheritance will disappear, along with a prosperous future for our posterity.
By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.