This has been a hard week. There are a couple of issues I'm dealing with here that are difficult. Then, Wednesday morning I awoke at 4:30 to watch the results coming in. At that point the candidates were tied. Within an hour or so, right before I headed out to school, the decision was made by the American people.
For some, voting is just an opinion...What do you think? What is most important to you? For me, it is a conviction. I firmly believe that we are held responsible for how we vote and for weighing which issues would be most most important in God's eyes. I realize some would argue that changing America into a more socialized country, so that we can help the poor, is just as crucial as giving a chance at life to an unborn baby. I disagree. (And beyond that, I philosophically do not agree with taxing people to help the poor. It's not charity, then. It creates a dependency over which most in poverty never overcome. By turning this job over to the government, we, as a church, have abdicated our responsibility to care for the poor. It's no longer "giving;" it's just "taking." Aren't we told to give "hilariously" (KJV) as unto the Lord? Taxation isn't hilarious giving. And in addition to that, it is also inefficient.)
And so, I believe, this is a sad day in America. I am generally an optimist, but there is a deep place in my soul that genuinely believes this is a mistake from which we won't bounce back. This is the next step down an inevitable path.
I came on to work, downtrodden. I walked into B's office, and we both burst into tears at the sight of the other, both realizing anew that the America we loved as children is no more. But it occurred to me at that moment how thankful I am that I am not alone. God is always with me, but he's even given me Biblically like-minded friends, even in a foreign country. Where there is a remnant, there is hope.
And the next bright spot in this dark week is that it has forced me deeper into God's Word to find the reminders that He is there. He is in control. He is able. He will judge. He will return. Who God is makes all the difference in this old world.
Thank you for reading my thoughts, eeyore-like as they are. May God be glorified in your little corner of the world, and may He be in mine.
14 comments:
I think living overseas- not just being there on vacation or even a short trip- gives a perspective that a lot of Americans miss. I struggle to describe further, but I think you know exactly what I mean.
I'm with you Sarah! There is just a heaviness surrounding this that is weighing on me as well even not being there...
I am a friend of Kelley Stamps (we go to church together in Arkansas). I read your post, and honestly felt the very same way. I saw something on a friends wall on Facebook, and immediately shared and felt SO much better (although I knew this in my heart already). My hope and trust do not lie in a donkey or an elephant, but it lies in a lamb. The Lamb of God.
He is our source of hope and trust. No man can ever replace what only He can provide. Lord help our nation....and although I didn't vote for him...Lord CONVICT our current president to seek you...know you...and to use his power for YOUR glory. Amen!
Greetings and prayers from Northwest Arkansas!!
Angie
I, and so many I know,feel the same way.I am in mourning. We'll take time to grieve and keep fighting the good fight.
America isn’t the America it was 20+ years ago – because everything evolves. It can never be the same – it’s always changing. I remember being little and able to play outside with only my friends for hours with fear of strangers grabbing me, or trick or treating for hours without my parents for fear of the same.
I am a Christian, I have a deep faith in God. I woke yesterday full of thankfulness and joy. Because we as Americans voted for a lot of change across the board. But also for a Leader with compassion.
Socialized Healthcare is not just for the poor and homeless. It is also for those that work 40+ hours a week and their employer can’t afford to give them healthcare or chooses not to give it to their employees, it’s for those people such as farmers, construction workers, etc that sometimes can’t afford healthcare for themselves and their families. It’s for those people finding themselves all the sudden unemployed and can’t afford COBRA payments.
I work for a Canadian based company in the US who also has offices in the UK – and I wish we had their healthcare. IVF is 100% paid for those struggling with infertility, 1 year maternity leave for mothers, NO LONG LINES for get to a dr., only have to wait the normal to see a doctor and/or dentist, and great healthcare, etc. I pay for my healthcare, and they don’t. I also have friends in Australia that say the same thing about socialized healthcare. They can’t understand why people in the US are making such a huge deal of it – and truly I can’t understand it either.
I also wanted to comment yesterday, but time got away from me and yesterday became today. The Roe v Wade issue also wasn’t touched by Reagan, George Bush or George W. Bush.
I am not trying to start anything I am just giving my thoughts :)
This is such a great post! I am with you! Yes, this has made me more heavenly minded......seeking the Lord more! He is our only answer!!!!
Sara, I had an identical conversation with Kathleen yesterday.
Let me share what I told her. Election night I was so upset, I could not even talk. I could not discuss the election at all when I realized who they were declaring as a winner. I thought, "It cannot be!" Someone cheated . .. I still think there was a lot of that in battleground states, but no matter . . .
That night I had a long talk with G. I talked to Him about the world my children were entering, the world we, His children, must live in until He comes. How evil was surrounding us and what were we to do when the majority was so rotten? I reminded Him of the life He created for us and how He meant for that life to be good, and so on. . . .
I remembered Sodom and Gomorrah and how God would have spared that city if there had been ten righteous . . . I told the L that I knew there were many more righteous people in this country than ten and I did not count myself . . . Then I began remembering scripture. . . First, I remembered Jeremiah 17, 5-8 . . . Read that. Especially note verses 7 and 8 . . . "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. . . " Verse 8 goes on to talk about how such a man shall be like a tree planted by the waters (think about this) who spreads out her roots by the river and who won't notice when heat comes, drought comes, whose leaf will be green and they will not cease yielding fruit.
That is the righteous. I could keep on listing scriptures along that same line but I think you get what I am saying. There is NO NEED for us to worry about anything we see happening around us! Oh, believe me, I know how you feel. Like I said, I was the same way. I felt like the America I loved was gone. Kathleen and Karoline mourned about it also. But that is not true . . .
Go to Ecclesiastes 1:9 . . . Any good reliable version of the B, will do (ha) . . . It says, "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun."
Think about that Sara. Our country has seen much worse times . . . Slavery was one of them and the civil war. I reminded my girls of this. How would you like to walk out your front door knowing you could be shot at a group of your fellow Americans from another state? Our country very nearly ceased to be, as we know it.
Then, a final scripture, Ecclesiastes 7:10 . . . "Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this." Now that one slaps us all in the head (ha). I remember the first time I read that scripture. It was such a relief to me!! Such a relief.
Remember the enemy paints a much bleaker picture than reality. J is our reality. God is our reality, and He gave us life abundantly to enjoy.
So, the end of my story, I woke up the next morning with a peace I cannot describe to you. A peace knowing it did not matter who was president . . . My life, in J, will be good. Life is good, because of Him who died for me!! Life here on earth is good . . . Psalms says He gives us all things richly to enjoy. He made this planet for us and as long as He tarries, there will be a way for His children.
I also spoke to Kathleen and Karoline about destruction and anytime God punished sin in the B, notice how He took His children out of harm's way first. When He destroyed the world by flood, He made provision for eight little dinky insignificant people . . . That's our God.
So, we will live on in this old world as long as He sees fit and we, His children, will have a good life because of who He is . . . and we will help others along the way!! :)
Whew! That was certainly a long winded comment but I wanted to share because I had felt the same as all of you.
Melanie
I think the sad thing is the candidate, Tom Smith, who said a woman who is raped and has a child is just like being a single mom.
And the other candidate who said having a child after been raped makes it not a believable rape but a gift from god.
I rejoice for all women that Romney was defeated.
I love and appreciate you so much! I think of you often and regularly mention you to my Bible study group. I think this (as usual) is very insightful. Blessings to you friend!
I have never been raped, though once a man forced me against a wall and grabbed at my clothes in an outside walkway between two church buildings. I was 14.
Had things gone differently, and I had been faced with a baby, I am sure that I would have wondered if my life was over, or how things would be for me. I was (and am) the only child of a single mom, and children raising children wasn't any easier 30 years ago than it is now.
Is it difficult to carry a baby for nine months when you don't love the father? Of course it is. Pretending otherwise is insanity, whether you are 14, 40, man or women, rape is horrific. The BABY, however, is innocent, and has done nothing to deserve death. To kill a baby because you are horrified by its conception is a sin.
Even if you can somehow justify a "rape" exception for abortion, it is actually a strawman argument. Do you know the percentage of babies aborted for rape? It is... 1%. 1%. An additional 6% are because of the mother's health (or the child's). That leaves 93%: 93% of abortions are because of convenience.
I don't care if GWB or Reagan or any other President has failed to "deal with" abortion. The problem is that AMERICA has chosen not to deal with abortion. Obama has no desire to change the law of the land, and has no desire to attempt to change the moral stance of the nation he leads. He will be held accountable by God, just as GWB, Reagan, and each of us will be, if we do not STAND AGAINST ABORTION.
So yes, I voted for the candidate that pledged to be pro-life and pro-family, not the one who has already proven himself to be anti-life and anti-family. (HINT: promising free health care and continued unemployment benefits is not pro-family when one's definition of family includes LGBT lifestyles. I cannot support Obama, because I cannot support that sin.)
Just my two cents, Sara.
I so agree with your post. Our household was also in mourning. We were lulled into thinking that, as a Believer, we all support the candidate that closely matches our beliefs. I am shocked by those who call themselves Christians yet vote for a candidate who supports abortion and same sex marriage. My Bible says it's wrong. You either believe the Bible 100% or you don't - there is no middle ground, and it's not optional. And for those who believe the things said about Romney, turn off the liberal t.v. stations.
Thank you Melanie for your comments - they are powerful and comforting. We were also reminded at church about 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Not only do we need to pray for Americans but that God will soften the president's heart. What a wake up call to the church. Pray!
Couldn't have said this better and am feeling just as downtrodden. Keep reminding myself that God is still in control, and I am part of his sheepfold. You are right, though...this is not the same America.
Sara - thought I'd share with you the link to our church's website where you can watch the sermon my pastor preached last night. (if you're able in Turkey...I don't know what restrictions there) It was about maintaining Joy and he specifically applied it to the elections. I'm not saying you don't have God's Joy at all...it was just a big encouragement to me and I thought it might be to you as well!
Just go to www.ardenroadbaptist.com and go about 3/4 way down the page to the link for this past Sunday evening's message!
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