If I had to choose one time for being the worst time of year, I would probably pick election time. The country becomes so torn apart that a civil war nearly begins. Suddenly, everyone's true colors come out. People, who used to be friends, suddenly become enemies and mini-wars are started in individual neighborhoods.
I remember reading an article in the newspaper some time ago (I've learned better now :). I couldn't help but notice that a candidate for presidential elections 2008, Hilary Rodham Clinton, spoke in Colorado for the first time. The article started by telling that Clinton knew how to beat all Republicans. It then proceeded to tell that Clinton wants to be a president who is concerned about global warming, solar power, and wind power. Of course, since I'm a sister of someone who knows better, I've heard the anti-global warming/everything else lecture so many times. I'm not falling for that trick again. Had Clinton even considered the fact that it would take so much more energy to make all these solar panels and windmills than it would be just to use water like always?
After reading the article, I was fueled up to go lecture someone on the cost/benefit analysis and to start lecturing everyone on why Clinton would make such a bad president, but then, I stopped. I remembered something. God was in control. It was He that had power over all things and nothing I could ever do would alter His glorious plans for eternity. It was He that protected our forefathers on their way to America, and it was He that had allowed Bush to be elected (for better or for worse), and it was even He who allowed 9/11 to happen to His glory. If Clinton is elected, it will also be His plans. And what do we know about His plans? They will glorify His name.
It's hard (and most of the time impossible) for us to see how bad things could work together for the glorifying of His name, but that's where faith comes in. How hard it is for us to realize that everything that happens is according to His plans! And, no, I'm not saying that we should all isolate ourselves from the world in our lonely mountain cottage and just wait to die, but we must also realize that even though we can't see the grand scheme of things, we have the assurance that all will work together to His glory and that all things are apart of His glorious plan.
Am I saying that we should never take part in elections? After all, it won't really matter if we vote or not. No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that it's not worth having a bad day over things that don't seem like they're going the right way. We must have faith to believe that all things are according to His plan.
What a disgrace!
8 years ago
17 comments:
Amen brotha...err...sista!
We may be able to campaign and vote for certain people, but we really have very little to do (more like nothing to do) with who gets elected. There's no use in getting upset with yourself or with anybody else when the "best" candidate doesn't succeed. If they don't win, they obviously weren't best for God's plan. LIVE WITH IT! (Sure there may be changes, distressing ones at that, but it will still be America.)
You know though...I like your lonely mountain idea. I'll come back from my cottage when the election madness is over. Osama Obama may be president with mosques replacing the Starbucks on every corner, but at least the elections will be over!
One final note:
RON PAUL!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
I think Beth is trying to start a little war of her own. :P
Good post! The interesting part is understanding our God given responsibilities and perform them to the best of our abilities. I've seen a lot of people use "trusting God" as an excuse for inaction (e.g. moving to Beth's lonely mountain).
Good post.
"It was He that had power over all things and nothing I could ever do would alter His glorious plans for eternity." - I won't comment on this beyond to say that if taken out of context, it would cause me to comment more - God does work through us.
As to Beth's post - I agree we should trust God and disagree with anger as a response (grief might be appropriate, seriously), but if you think this will always be America regardless, you are deceiving yourself.
And I think many elected officials would tell you that you can have a lot to do with who is elected...
"Yes we can!" - er, wait, let's avoid the Cult of Barack. But we can.
I just want to run my own personal Island...that would be the dream...a personal Island with my own government...that would be fun
but i digress...good post I really agree with what david said about our God given responsibilities...its like saying that if I truly trust God that I don't have to eat anymore and if I die then that must be God's will...a silly example...
--Ryan
Amen, brother! (in a shaky voice :-)
No, really -- good summary of one way in which living by faith pans out in day to day life. Way to go, Abb! I like your soap box :-)
(BTW, give me your password and I'll get rid of that "Word Verification" thangamajig. Ok, so you can do it too.)
You have something else to say, jeorge? lol
Okay, yes, that is something that I shouldn't have left out - the fact that God does work through us to accomplish His plan. I don't want to start sounding like the "God-is-looking-down-the-corridors-of-time" people, though. God has a plan that He had from the beginning, and nothing we could ever do (or anything that happens) would alter that plan. Can you imagine if something "wrong" happened and all the angels start running through heaven yelling, "Plan B! Plan B!"?
And what about when bad things happen? Well, we must have faith to know that this is God's plan. If we understood why all things happend, we would no longer have to have faith.
Yes, I've seen the "trusting God" thing more times than I'd like to care, too.
Tom, when I said that "nothing we could ever do would alter His plans for eternity," I mean that if I went out a robbed a bank, ran over someone and drove away, and then lied about it, this would be part of God's glorious plan to restore all things back to Himself. It's hard to see, but that's where faith comes in.
Why is it that we get so upset when something happens (even when the gerbil client calls and says that the gerbils are fighting)that we think isn't right? Why do we have all our ups and downs? It's because we aren't living in faith. We're living only by what we can see with our own two eyes.
Whoa. there's a lot there..
Good post! Thanks.
Ok, just to make sure everybody knows - 90% of my previous post was meant in a joking manner. Those who have been around me too much know that I do not plan on voting for Ron Paul, but must shout his name at least once a day.
(RON PAUL!)
As a disclaimer: I really don't have a great deal of interest in politics, therefore I really have no clue what I'm talking about -- so don't blame me for the stupid things I say. :-)
The lonely mountain was one of those things I meant as a joke. I definitely don't think we should be inactive, but I don't think we have "a lot to do with who is elected" either -- it's up to God, not us. We can work to get certain candidates elected, but God may or may not use that work in the way we expect Him to (i.e. Romney).
Tom, this will still be America until the name is changed. :-P All I meant is that if Clinton or Obama wins the election, America is not going to instantly end as we know it.
And on that note... America as we know it is in bad shape. Murder is already legal with the current leadership. We're heading towards socialism with the current leadership. And I am not convinced Romney or McCain or anybody else as president will be able to reverse the trends. However, America has not yet completely turned from God, and until we do (by no longer supporting Israel, among other things), God will continue to bless the nation and His people (even with a president we don't like).
Ok, there you have it -- one of those posts from someone who has no idea what they are saying, but says it anyway. Hey, where's the fun in a blog with no one to disagree with? (Or no one to laugh at for saying such idiotic things...) :-P
Enjoy picking apart my fallacies. :-D
LOL, No, that's not what I said at all. Being blessed and having "no consequences to our actions" are two very different things.
Yes, of course there have been and will continue to be consequences for America's sinful actions, but America is still being blessed.
(Back to the "Presidential Elections" topic...)
"To think that God will continue to bless our nation until we completely forsake him if rather nuts."
God was willing to spare Sodom if only 10 righteous people were found. God is merciful - I don't think he will suddenly wipe us off the face of the earth because we have poor leadership (ex: the Bill Clinton years).
That's all I'm saying - I feel blessed to live in America, even if a bad president gets elected. A bad president may be a blessing in itself, if things get so bad that many people start to look to God again. True, we may head in the other direction (towards being wiped off the face of the earth... :S).
But we never know how God is going to our leaders, we just have to trust Him.
(I don't think I'm going to comment on your blog again Abs. It's too much finger exercise just to find that we all pretty much agree anyway. :P )
Because nobody else is responding to Beth, here goes...
To think that God will continue to bless our nation until we completely forsake him if rather nuts. God is punishing our nation right now, and if things don't change it will get worse. For example, look at the foolishness of our leaders. Look at 9-11, Katrina, etc, etc, etc.
God won't just ignore our wrongdoing if we are still supporting Israel. God won't ignore all the abortions as long as we don't completely turn from Him. Our Country will be held responsible.
Are you saying that there will be no consequences to our actions until we completely turn away from God?
the timing got a bit mixed up there. :-/
I had to correct a few errors, so I deleted my old comment and added a new one. Beth threw her comment in between. :D
LOL...sorry about that.
Blogs are stupid. :-P
Oh, and BTW,
RON PAUL!
Yeah for discussion!
What, may I ask, do you all consider to be blessing? Could you give a definition? This may clear a lot of differences between commenters.
Blessing is when somebody gives me something unhealthy to eat! YEAHHH!
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessing
^ one of those ^. :P
:D Sounds good to me!
But in your own words? Anyone?
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