First of all, I want to say I love my country. I truly believe Canada is the greatest country in the world. It is very far from perfect, but it is my home.
The recent changes in our relationship with the US government have us scrambling. We are pushing forward to “buy Canadian” and becoming more patriotic than we have ever been in my lifetime.
We planned our vacation to visit my sister-in-law in San Antonio, Texas, long before the recent upheaval. While I was somewhat nervous about the trip to the US, we decided to continue with our plans, and I’m so glad we did.
My devotional today was based on the verse from Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This really got me thinking about how we respond to evil, or to put it into today’s context, “When someone does us wrong.” We Canadians feel we have been “wronged,” and we have. We have felt our way of life is under attack, and we are inclined to strike back.
Don’t get me wrong. we need to “Buy Canadian” as much as possible. We should have been doing that long before now. But I think we really need to examine our hearts. Are we fighting back “evil for evil,” and where is our motive?
My “fear” of coming to the US was how we would be perceived as Canadians. Are we going to be ostracized? Are we going to be considered participants or opponents in a trade war? Nothing could be further from the truth. Each and every person we’ve met has been so friendly and hospitable, even knowing where we are from. They “light up” when we tell them we are Canadians. I heard responses like:
· I love Canadians!
· Aren’t you angry at DT, I sure am?
· That’s awesome!
· We are applying for Visas to move to your country! (I “think” that was in jest)
In Romans 12:17-18 we read, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
I think we can still be patriotic but live in peace with our brothers and sisters. My initial fears were unfounded. I enjoyed visiting family and experiencing a culture that was different in some ways from mine but very much the same in others.
Let’s examine our hearts and how we respond to all things in our actions and verbally (and in posting on social media). This is a challenge today, but it was also politically challenging in Rome in Paul’s day.
God understands our struggles, and has guided us to live through those struggles in His Word.
Instead of being Canadian first, let’s truly be Followers of Jesus first!
