trees and some midnight thoughts

   I have this terrible habit of thinking when I should be sleeping. I'll be laying down wanting to fall asleep but instead my mind takes off thinking. It's sometimes ridiculous because as I think to myself, "now, don't start Lauren. You're in bed. Don't think of anything." then my mind likes to give me examples of what I should not be thinking. Yes, you see the problem. The biggest annoyance is ignoring the thoughts and then forgetting them when I wake up. So I must get up, out of my warm cozy bed, walk over to the other side of my room, find some paper, find a writing utensil, and somehow at the wee hours of the morning try to remember that thought that is quickly evading all neurons associated with memory retention.
   Hopefully this thought won't be too disappointing...
   God is calling us to social reform of the individual. He is concerned with, and deals with, countries, governments, parties, groups, churches, and families as He has demonstrated all through history and the Bible. But even as most people struggle to see the forest from the trees, God does not. Not only does He not, but He also sees the trees from the forest. I think that most people struggle to see anything other than themselves, or at least their imaginary self where all their strength are exaggerated and their weaknesses diminutive.
   God loves the individual. God sees the individual. Wherever there are social injustices, God is not there in their hearts (but He is there with His people). The answer is not laws, rules, and regulations; judiciaries, amendments, litigations, and constitutions; while these fix the outside, they leave whitewash tombs inside. A change in a constitution does not change one's heart, only his actions when he thinks he might get caught.
   Only through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit can social reform be accomplished.Only when the Spirit regenerates a soul can that soul see the full implications of his actions. To tame man's actions, put a band aide on his sin, does not eradicate his sin. Only through the power of Christ's blood can man's sin be removed.
   To see social reform, deal with the individual.
   Tell him about Jesus. Read him God's Word. How can he be saved unless he has faith, and faith if not by hearing?  And pray. Pray for the nation, the leadership, the factions, the divisions, the unities, but it starts with the individual. So pray for the individual. Then go. Go find the lost soul. Go tell him about the redemptive work of Christ. Find him and tell him.