“Dear Sir: Regarding your article 'What's Wrong with the World?' I am. Yours truly,” 
--G.K. Chesterton

I tend to have a VERY long-winded answer to that question.  Mean drivers on the Beltway, my neighbor whose cigarette-infused apartment insults greets me every day, interminably slow clerks at the store, red lights, Capitol Hill, Westboro Baptist, the cost of gas in Northern VA, and my current supply of chocolate in the pantry. 

When everyone and every thing comes to mind first, I find myself trying to blame them.  Moi?  There are MANY things far worse than me.

This perspective makes a mockery of the Gospel.  If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God (1 John 1:10, The Message).  A claim like that makes me look foolish and does not accurately portray God's character.

Instead I need to have the conviction of Paul who writes in 1 Tim 1:15, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst."

If I am the worst of sinners, I am in desperate need of a Savior.  Unless I live a life wholly dependent on Christ and his gift of the cross, my life is hypocritical and wasted.  I don't want to become complacent with the story of how Christ died for me.  I want to daily recognize my need for Him and cling to his mercy and grace.



Note:  While the validity of this quote is of some question, the message makes it worthwhile for me, so I'm choosing to ignore the fact that there is no evidence Chesterton wrote this.