I have been stating over the past few days that I have not and will not make any more purchases from a place "they" call the home depot. I have said this because the home depot fired an employee in Florida for violating their dress code. The violation, attached to his home depot apron, was a button with a picture of an American flag on it and the wording "... one nation, under God... INDIVISIBLE". Reportedly, he had been wearing this button for about a year. He recently began bringing his Bible to work and reading it on his breaks and lunch hour. He was told to stop wearing that button and offered one that says "United We Stand". He chose to take a stand, and that was to stand up for his belief in God and country. home depot fired him.
It is interesting to note that home depot had no problem with the button until he started reading his Bible on his lunch hour. When home depot saw that this young man, Trevor Keezer, was serious about his relationship with God, home depot decided to end its relationship with Trevor. Apparently, home depot feels that their business is better off without God in it. (Except for the money they take in which has the statement "In God We Trust" on it.)
Trevor is making a stand, and I am standing with him by no longer shopping at home depot. I have already made a phone call to home depot's headquarters in Atlanta, as well as every home depot store in our area to tell them that I will no longer be doing business with them.
What difference will that make? Well, if it is just me, then I can only make my stand, with little or no effect on home depot. But,I can stand! And you can, too! If it is all of us, then it certainly makes a difference. You can continue to shop there. You can make a reference to this situation with every little nail or light bulb you buy there. But, as long as they are getting your money, nothing will change. You see, this decision by home depot is motivated by neither religious, moral, nor spiritual values. It's all about the money. If they can make more money by keeping God out of their stores than by allowing their employees to acknowledge Him in their stores, they are going to keep doing what they are doing.
As long as protesting Christians continue to drop their money into home depot's coffers, home depot will continue to deny people like Trevor the right to even passively express their belief in our Almighty God. How many other home depot employees do you think have been intimidated into removing their "I serve God" buttons and pins? And, do you think it is only home depot who enforces such a policy? Call Belk and JC Penney and any other large retailer and ask if their employees are allowed to say "Merry Christmas", even as they are processing YOUR Christmas purchases!
A small, insignificant thing? Huge losses are made up of small compromises. Please understand, God has lost nothing here. But, we Christians have given ground and given ground and given ground until we can hardly recognize the landscape around us. This is an easy stand to take. It may mean we have to suffer a little inconvenience. How are we going to have the faith and the strength for the very difficult stands to be made in days to come when we won't stand here? Satan is pushing. He certainly won't stop with home depot.
This is not about requiring home depot to believe in or even acknowledge God. We cannot and should not even attempt that. It is about honoring God with His provision. It is about saying "My money is God's money, and it will not be spent at any establishment which will not allow Him to be honored."
Romans 11:36 (New International Version) For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
And what wonderful things might our God bring from this simple matter?
Connected,
Dennis
