1 Chronicles 29:14 includes the following passage where David declares the glory of the Lord: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.”
Forgotten Gratitude
A wise man once said, “The best way to appreciate what you have is to remember that it is all from God.” One thing that the United States lacks is gratitude. There is presently a distinct deficiency of gratitude throughout the U.S. As a whole, our nation has forgotten to be grateful, and this is no more painfully evident than through the expressed presumption of President Biden’s fact sheet on the infrastructure bill recently proposed to Congress. It reads, “Too many lack access to affordable, high-speed internet and to quality housing.”
When one considers that the United States is so materially advantaged that we consider “high-speed internet” a necessity, it becomes obvious that our nation is out of touch with reality. Consider the words of economist Tim Worstall’s writing in 2013: “The poor in the U.S. are richer than around 70% of all the people extant. The poor in the U.S. are about as poor, perhaps a bit richer, than the poor in other rich countries.”
“While there is nothing wrong with improving the well-being of the U.S., our nation would greatly benefit from a reality check of our incredible privileged way of life compared to much of the world. 1 Samuel 2:7, says, “The Lord created poor and rich; He humbles, He also exalts.” The fact that there is a difference is not inherently bad.
Infrastructure Bill
This infrastructure spending bill is being sold as a means of resolving inequity. Not only is this inequity nowhere near the monumental problem it is portrayed to be, but the methodology being employed to reduce it is poorly targeted, demonstrating the problem of central planning. It purports to resolve inequality by fixing roads, bridges, and transport in under-served areas. Nonetheless, the bill’s actual text belies that stated goal.
Less than 6% of the total $2.5 trillion attached to the bill would be spent on highways and bridges for American communities, under-served or otherwise. Although Democrats have contested this claim as Republican propaganda by pointing out that spending has been allocated to other forms of transportation, those allocations will be funding transits like Amtrak, which accounts for less than 1% of travel.
Instead of utilizing poorly planned centralized “infrastructure” bills that misplace resources to solve problems of alleged inequity, we should direct our focus and resources on more critical issues. Our nation has been incredibly blessed! Let us override critical ingratitude by remembering the admonition found in I Thessalonians 5:8; “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
