Being non-essential

The federal government shut down has raised a lot of eyebrows. It has exposed a lot about our government, how big it has gotten, how interwoven it is into the fabric of American enterprise and society. It was never supposed to get that way. The Founding Fathers envisioned a limited government where the people would have freedom to create opportunities, business and commerce, a better way for themselves, or not, if they chose not to. We see now that a government shut down has caused a ripple effect throughout the nation. We have to wonder, if there are millions on non-essential personnel sitting at home, why? What does this tell us about our nation, and what opportunity does it present?

Government is not God. Yet to millions, it is their provider; their care giver; their facilitator of life. This is the trap. And it has been sprung on way too many Americans. There are too many of us who are far too dependent on the government. We need to wean away. And what better time than now? Think about it. All these people at home because they are non essential. I would wager if I were a wagering man that these folks could provide better service to the government as part of their own company doing the very same thing for the government. I bet they could do it more efficiently, less expensively, more creatively, and also be happier while they were doing it.

If I were a "non essential" sitting at home, I would probably call my co-workers together for a meeting. I would tell them that we could start a company and provide the very same kind of services to the government and to others who wanted them. Let's get rid of the people who don't do any work in our area and start our own business. I bet they could work harder, faster and make more money than what the government is paying them because they know their jobs and how to do them, there is just no incentive at the government for such efficiency. Its a thought. If I were non essential, I would surely be wondering about my future.

There is a deeper message. To this Congress and White House, we are all "non-essential." They don't care. They don't want to hear our concerns. They do what they want to do. We the People are a means to their selfish ends. We are essential for one day a year--April 15--when we are forced to show up with the cash. Otherwise, we are as non-essential as any government worker sitting at home today because politicians are blaming each other for everybody sitting at home. This is another reason government isn't God. In God's eyes, everyone is essential. Remember what Jesus told us in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoseover believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." No, government is not God, and you ARE essential.