in god we trust…
i must have received at least a handful of identical emails last week from a variety of people. the emails were forwards that were passed on to me regarding the importance of rejecting the new dollar coins because they no longer say “in god we trust” on them. the subject for these emails read – a great way to witness.
not long after receiving these emails, i received a response that one person sent to all of us who had received the original. he pointed out that according to the u.s. mint website, the omission of “in god we trust” was a temporary minting mistake. as a result, according to this man, it was not a government attempt to “get rid of god.” future coins will continue to say “in god we trust.”
as i consider all of this, it got me thinking about one of my major frustrations with american christianity. too often we forget that god is not really interested in whether our government prints “in god we trust” on our coins and currency. instead, he is much more interested in whether we demonstrate that we trust in god through the way that we use our coins and currency. we are often too quick to demand an opportunity to advertise what we believe through statements, words, billboards, and coins. we ought to focus instead on revealing what we believe through the way we live. that’s where the real impact and influence will be seen.
i love the people who forwarded the message to me…and i certainly am not intending to put them down in any way. their heart is right and i appreciate them for that. i do want to challenge all who are following jesus to focus first on the messages that their lives communicate, regardless of what our government does. that is a great way to witness.
