backing my way into a political opinion.....well sort of but not really.....
I've been trying to avoid writing about the politics of 2016......I don't really want to dive into this can of worms. Unfortunately, as I was sitting in church today, I felt like God was giving me some new thoughts and ideas about the upcoming election for our next president of the US. Only.....and I mean ONLY....because I really do feel that they are God's things to consider, will I share them.
Sigh.
Let me preface this by saying that this past week, on vacation, we watched the DNC playing on television. (side note: television should not be allowed on vacation!) and my family members, at least in part, had lots of conversations about who should or should not win and why. I have really mixed feelings about the 2 likely candidates. Most are not good feelings. I've decided to keep quiet and just listen to what people I know and respect think. (Well, mostly listen, except today. I will write and then listen some more.). Last night, at my high school reunion of the Class of '86 I heard even more thoughts and opinions and conversations. I have classmates that live all over the world and everyone is buzzing about what is going to happen to the USA after the elections in November. Most of the world, and much of the west coast has pretty clear predictions of the outcome. Last night, I sat up awhile, thinking about so many of these things and turning them over in my mind.
Today, in church, we had a guest pastor and in his preaching, he mentioned the names of "republican" and "democrat"and his sermon was about all the names we have, given both by the devil and by Jesus Christ and it was so, so good. I was praying as he was preaching, because he asked us to do that. Where there is prayer, there is power. Where there is no prayer, there is no power. Where there is little prayer, there is little power.........
I think, I think, that God showed me something that snuffed out the flame of my fear and dread and anxiety for the coming Presidential election. Here is what I am thinking. This country is clearly a mess. It is not newly a mess. It has been a mess for a long time. Maybe forever. We should not have shown up from other lands and taken over the land. We did. We should not have stolen human beings from other countries and forced them to work this land for personal gain. We did. We should have done many things differently and we didn't do everything wrong but we could have done things much, much more rightly. Our presidents.....they are the names that take the blame or get the credit for the things we did. The things WE.....Do. We are the American. We effect change. We declare our demands and our wants and our needs and people are elected to power to try to keep us happy, We Americans are fickle people. We want one thing today and something else tomorrow. We are greedy. We have entitlement issues. We are children of a democracy, not a dictatorship or a socialized government. We are a mess. Do not hear what I am not saying. Democracy is a good thing. But too much free will among sinful man is not such a good thing.
Our next president will take the blame or the credit for what we decide we want this country to be. I pity that person. I need to start praying for that person. My classmate who lives abroad, and has for 18 years, told me last night that the world says that American is in shambles. Dang straight we are. Look at the circus we are living through just trying to elect a next president.
From the shambles, and in the middle of the mess, is God Almighty. He is here. He has not abandoned us in America. He is drumming his fingers on His Holy Table, just waiting to hear the cry of this, His people. He wants to stir us and love us and heal us and move us and make us better because He wants us to be Redeemed. Not a mess. Maybe, just maybe, we should spend more time caring for each other. Helping. Blessing. Pulling one another out of pits of financial distress, social isolation, spiritual poverty....we Americans.....we can all do something. Lets adopt the kids in foster care or love on their families of origin long enough to make them well so they can parent their children. Lets pay for expensive bills for education or health care or treatment or whatever keeps Americans in chains and oppressed. Lets face the racism that is like cancer in this country....yes. I did say that. I am a white mother with black and white children and white privilege is not gone. Lets make sure that we are taking care of each other and maybe, just maybe, the job of government won't have to be the ridiculous spectacle we have become......
The best news of the day is this. God does not require or expect or even hope we will try to do this without Him. He wants to help us do life in America as well as we can in 2016......with His Will, His plan and His power.
OK.
I've said my piece for now. I will return to listening. Blessings.
Sigh.
Let me preface this by saying that this past week, on vacation, we watched the DNC playing on television. (side note: television should not be allowed on vacation!) and my family members, at least in part, had lots of conversations about who should or should not win and why. I have really mixed feelings about the 2 likely candidates. Most are not good feelings. I've decided to keep quiet and just listen to what people I know and respect think. (Well, mostly listen, except today. I will write and then listen some more.). Last night, at my high school reunion of the Class of '86 I heard even more thoughts and opinions and conversations. I have classmates that live all over the world and everyone is buzzing about what is going to happen to the USA after the elections in November. Most of the world, and much of the west coast has pretty clear predictions of the outcome. Last night, I sat up awhile, thinking about so many of these things and turning them over in my mind.
Today, in church, we had a guest pastor and in his preaching, he mentioned the names of "republican" and "democrat"and his sermon was about all the names we have, given both by the devil and by Jesus Christ and it was so, so good. I was praying as he was preaching, because he asked us to do that. Where there is prayer, there is power. Where there is no prayer, there is no power. Where there is little prayer, there is little power.........
I think, I think, that God showed me something that snuffed out the flame of my fear and dread and anxiety for the coming Presidential election. Here is what I am thinking. This country is clearly a mess. It is not newly a mess. It has been a mess for a long time. Maybe forever. We should not have shown up from other lands and taken over the land. We did. We should not have stolen human beings from other countries and forced them to work this land for personal gain. We did. We should have done many things differently and we didn't do everything wrong but we could have done things much, much more rightly. Our presidents.....they are the names that take the blame or get the credit for the things we did. The things WE.....Do. We are the American. We effect change. We declare our demands and our wants and our needs and people are elected to power to try to keep us happy, We Americans are fickle people. We want one thing today and something else tomorrow. We are greedy. We have entitlement issues. We are children of a democracy, not a dictatorship or a socialized government. We are a mess. Do not hear what I am not saying. Democracy is a good thing. But too much free will among sinful man is not such a good thing.
Our next president will take the blame or the credit for what we decide we want this country to be. I pity that person. I need to start praying for that person. My classmate who lives abroad, and has for 18 years, told me last night that the world says that American is in shambles. Dang straight we are. Look at the circus we are living through just trying to elect a next president.
From the shambles, and in the middle of the mess, is God Almighty. He is here. He has not abandoned us in America. He is drumming his fingers on His Holy Table, just waiting to hear the cry of this, His people. He wants to stir us and love us and heal us and move us and make us better because He wants us to be Redeemed. Not a mess. Maybe, just maybe, we should spend more time caring for each other. Helping. Blessing. Pulling one another out of pits of financial distress, social isolation, spiritual poverty....we Americans.....we can all do something. Lets adopt the kids in foster care or love on their families of origin long enough to make them well so they can parent their children. Lets pay for expensive bills for education or health care or treatment or whatever keeps Americans in chains and oppressed. Lets face the racism that is like cancer in this country....yes. I did say that. I am a white mother with black and white children and white privilege is not gone. Lets make sure that we are taking care of each other and maybe, just maybe, the job of government won't have to be the ridiculous spectacle we have become......
The best news of the day is this. God does not require or expect or even hope we will try to do this without Him. He wants to help us do life in America as well as we can in 2016......with His Will, His plan and His power.
OK.
I've said my piece for now. I will return to listening. Blessings.
If my people.... who are called by my name.....
ReplyDeleteSo Good Friend! Love you and your perspective!