Stop Saying, “I Don’t Care!”

A few days ago, I was in a conversation focused on the possible outcomes of political events in our country and their implications.   A participant in the conversation said, “I don’t care anyway!  I’ll probably be dead before I have to worry about it.”

The person who made this comment is around my age, though I’m not planning on either one of us meeting the Lord anytime soon.

Of course, you never know.

This isn’t the first time I have heard someone suggest he isn’t concerned about the future here on earth because he is planning on being in heaven before things get worse.  I realize life is complicated, and there is some comfort in knowing we won’t have to manage any more than necessary.  But, in my humble opinion, our eternal reward and the joy we will experience in heaven is no reason to ignore what happens here after we are gone.

Consider these things we should care about:

We should care about global, national and local politics that will impact the future.  What happens between and within nations now will will affect those who remain after we are gone.  Our children and grandchildren will inherit the intended and unintended consequences of decisions made by leaders today.  The dreams for a better life that existed in the minds of our forefathers must not die with us.

We should care about the environment others must live in after we are gone.  Global warming and sea level rise are certainly critical issues in our world today.  But I think our attitude toward the environment can be seen on a much more personal level.  Not long ago I was waiting at a stop light when the door of the car in front of me opened slightly and the driver plopped a fast food bag to the pavement.  When the light turned, she drove away, clipping a part of the bag with her back tire and spreading trash across the roadway.  If you have ever been to an impoverished, and politically corrupt country, you may have seen piles of trash and people living in them!  Every time I see someone throw a piece of trash out of a window I think of those places and wonder what is taking place in the hearts and minds of our citizens.  We should care about the environment we leave behind.

We should care about people who are outside of Christ when we leave this world.  Have you ever wondered why faithful believers who are in the last years of their lives love to see younger people serve in the church?  Why do they still send cards of encouragement to younger leaders, even though they themselves are no longer able to participate in most church activities?  They do it because they have given their whole lives to the mission of the church and they are thinking about the work that will continue after they are gone.  They know the believer’s walk with the Lord can be hard and they want those who come behind them to remember they are loved.

We should care about the long-term consequences of sinful and destructive behaviors.  When we see wickedness increasing, we can’t help but think things are only going to get worse.  Some people have told me they are glad they won’t be around to see how terrible things might become before Jesus returns.  I understand.  And I will admit, sometimes I feel a sense of powerlessness when it comes to healing the diseases manifesting themselves in our culture’s soul.  But none of us are truly powerless.  We can pray for our world and spread goodness with our last ounce of energy before we leave this earth.  We can die in hope because of our Savior, but we can also leave behind a message of hope to those who will be loving people through their messes in the years to come.

Hopefully, you can see there is every reason not to say, “I don’t care!”  More than anything, such an attitude doesn’t speak well of those who have put their trust in Jesus.  I realize some may see this as a statement of faith in the glory to come.  I get it.  But just because we are getting closer to eternal glory doesn’t mean we should stick our nose up at those who are going to be here a while.

Join me in caring…

…about all kinds of things and those who come behind us.

I have reaped the benefits of the vision of those who went before me all of my life.  Those who follow me deserve the same.