Culture Changers

by Kelly Knowlden

We often make the mistake of thinking that the “big” people and institutions in life are what change culture. While it is true that they shape culture, it is really the “little” people like you and me that change a culture. It is not government, or businesses or presidents or judges that really change culture.

It is those who will stand up for what is right, who are willing to fight for moral reasons - passing laws on the basis of moral reasons, not votes or convenience. It is those who are willing to care about our neighbors, who are willing to live outside of self, who do not live by how they feel. It is done by those who will speak in private as though they were on the podium, remembering that God in heaven knows all and will bring into account all actions done, all words said. It is by those who raise children who work hard and know what it is to live under submission to authority - not because the authority is always right, but because it is always right to respect those who have that God-ordained calling. It is those same parents who are not content when the greatest delight in life is to sit in front of a screen and wipe out virtual men. They will want their children to be exposed to the greatest thinkers of all time and will seek to understand them and their legacy. They are going to hold them to the highest standard and not allow them to complain because it is too hard. And then they are also going to teach their children how to respond when they are sinned against... not by complaining about all the other teachers and children in the world, but by showing them who Jesus is and why He came. They are not going to allow their children to excuse their behavior with “reasons.” They are not going to point fingers elsewhere when things don’t go their way. They are going to remind them that when there are interpersonal problems the solution always lies within themselves - not in changing the other guy. They are going to be those who do not look at the color of skin nor their nationality, but rather measure a man by his character, his integrity. These will be those who change culture.

Ultimately it lies in those who have had their heart’s culture changed...who see their need of a resurrected Lord to overcome their natural tendency toward the self-orientation of life. As we reflect about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us pray that He would change the culture of our hearts.