What has the world come to these days? It’s a phrase that gets uttered quite a bit.

To read of the horrific happenings in the world, one would think the world is without hope. Murders, hate crimes, terrorism are all practically commonplace these days.

Even utterly atrocious acts like radicals beheading Americans overseas seem a little less shocking as the days go by.

The world is truly nuts these days. Maybe it always has been, but things certainly seem to be growing worse with each passing day.

As we close in on Christmas 2014, perhaps we should all pause and reflect not only on the problems of the world, but also what we’re doing to resolve those problems.

If we’re not part of the solution, then we’re part of the problem. Nowhere more is that evident, perhaps, than in America’s rapid departure from its Christian roots.

We are, in some ways, lucky to be here in the Deep South, heart of the Bible belt. Things here are still mostly genuine, the people mostly good-hearted.

But as a nation, we have much healing to do in order to rid our own country of the selfishness and hatred that drives many decisions.

Christmas gives us a beautiful reminder of how our Creator loved us so much that He provided an amazing gift in the form of a tiny baby who grew up to become our Savior.

For believers, we should all pause and remember those seemingly silly little bracelets from the 1990s that asked: WWJD?

If more of us followed that guidance, imagine how much different our nation, and eventually the world might be.