So, hopefully as soon as the election is over, we won’t be
logging off social networks with a lump in our throats, feeling a heaving
sensation in our chests from all the political dialogue to which we’ve been
exposed. Honestly, I feel pain on a profound level when I consider some of the
positions that my friends hold on volatile issues that have been discussed, but
I can imagine they feel the same about some of mine. But, “I’m right!” No, I
don’t really mean that. The extreme views and propaganda of freshly spun story
lines and words spoken, yanked from their context, have been enough to make a
person ill. The political spectrum’s right, left, and even the independent camp
are all guilty.
No matter the outcome from the votes, we can bet the news
media will take us through a short honeymoon for the administration of the
POTUS, and those newly elected to the House and Senate. But, in no time, the
onslaught of attacks will begin afresh. Maybe the hope of the media is to
uncover inconsistencies that elected officials need to fix. Or, maybe it is a
barrage mudslinging to the demise of a person with a different approach or
perspective in solving the nation’s problems.
Yet, with all the intensity that this election evokes, an
important question emerges: If the
candidate you want to win, WINS, will that really solve all of our problems?!!!
Of course it won’t! And, that’s not to say that great
leadership doesn’t make a difference.
As I’ve observed the political process through my life, I’ve
come to conclusions that often people make decisions based upon, "what’s
in it for me?” Not always, but most of the time. I know that self-centeredness
is what I see on a daily basis with my preschooler and toddler, and to be
honest, real honest, I have to go to God, A LOT, about my own. And no matter what policies a government
puts in place, it seems that eventually,
self-centered people are after a slice
of the pie, for any benefit that can be acquired, free, from the governing
authorities.
Capitalism is awesome!
Awesome as long as we all are upright, blameless, righteous, and just
people. When the moral fabric of any culture crumbles, it doesn’t matter how
well the political rails of the cultural train have been placed. Just to add, I
don’t know of ANY founding fathers who laid a better foundation than the nation
in which I currently reside. So if our governing officials stick to that
foundation, we can expect a flourishing future. Yet, a necessity to experience
a flourishing future we so desire is that citizens, on an individual basis, get
in touch with a deep sense of righteousness and justice. That sense needs to be
deep enough that it moves each person to responsible action.
So, my prayer is still, “God bless America.” PLEASE do,
right down to the core of our being. Because what is going on in our hearts,
the seat of our affections, motivations, and actions, is more important than
any ideology to which we hold. Heart change brings awareness of our capacity
for selfishness, and it can help us to know that with God’s help, we can do
what is best for others, even if it costs us everything.
Amos 5: 24 “But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (NIV)
