Does the state of our country’s morality get to you? Do you let politics and disagreements boil your blood? Does the unfairness of it all get under your skin and make you want to either explode or turn your back? If any of the above is true, then we need to re-ground ourselves and ask, “What is our responsibility in all of this?”
One scenario that helps me put this into perspective is the command structure of a naval ship of war. There are about 32 different positions on a ship: commanding officer, executive officer, gunnery deputy, medical deputy, communication deputy, chaplain, etc. Everyone on board has his or her assigned role and duties to perform. Each one performs these duties to the best of their abilities. They all know they are relied upon and rely on others to do what they were trained for.
With that said, never would you find someone from engineering in charge of medical or someone from communications attempting to fix the engines. They simply wouldn’t have the skills or abilities to run those stations effectively and the operation of the ship would be hampered.
How does this apply to us? We are at war in the world: a spiritual war (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Satan is doing his best to distract us from the mission and divide us. Our role, in naval terms, is that of a chaplain. Our sole mission is to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). As much as we would like to boss the world around to do the right thing, we are not the commanding officer. Christians cannot enforce their will on the world but that doesn’t stop some from trying. Our King of kings and Lord of lords is mighty indeed, and he can use men of this world to fight the battle that rages around us. We cannot fathom his knowledge and wisdom. He has swayed the hearts and fates of men and countries since the world began.
We need to focus on the task we were given and do it to the best of our ability. Trust your Lord and do your best to be a light to those around you. You never know who you could influence that is going to be a part of the Lord’s plan. Don’t be disheartened and be willing to have discussions, not arguments. Put on the full armor of God and reach out to the lost of this world (Ephesians 6:11). This world is not our home, we are just passing through (Hebrews 13:14-16) and we should grab as many hands to travel with us as we can while we go.