I remember a song from the 1990’s that had the refrain, “Hope I never lose my wallet…” The song went through a list of the things that you could lose in this life: obviously your wallet, your hair, your direction, your mind, your sense, your youth, etc. The thing that the song doesn’t talk about losing however, is your values, and that seems to be an issue in the United States these days.
I’m not talking about generally saying “these dern whippersnappers have lost their values,” but rather, scientifically conducted research done by the people at the Wall Street Journal. They asked people which of the following were values for them: Patriotism, Religion, Having Children, Community Involvement, and Money. Every category came back with less than 40% of people thinking it was a value. This differs greatly even from 2019 when over 50% of people said two values (Patriotism and Community Involvement) were important, and from 1998 when over 50% of people said Patriotism, Religion, Having Children, and Community involvement were important. The only thing that did not make the list in 1998 was money, which ends up was the most valued thing in this year’s survey.
So perhaps we haven’t lost our wallets and how important they are to us, but we may be losing other values. Perhaps other values will take their place. But where we are right now as a country is a place in which what had been important maybe isn’t as important anymore. This can be a time of mourning and confusion for us, but it can also be a time to grow our empathy – to realize other things may be important to people and to start to grow in our understanding.
Additionally, it is important to recognize that sometimes Christianity has been attached to cultural values where it didn’t need to be. While “having children” was a cultural value, and that was sometimes spoken of as being “Christian,” the reality is that the New Testament talks just as much about being single than it does about having children. Patriotism has sometimes been connected to Christianity, but sometimes that connection has been a sour mixture.
In the midst of a time when things are being lost and confused, it is of the greatest importance that we not lose our focus on God and His Word. Culture will inevitably change, for good or for evil. But God and His Word will always point us to the true values of His Kingdom.