Bones & StonesPosted by Angelo Melendez on April 13th, 2008
All the political hype these days is wearing me out, and the tide is still rising. There’s a fervor around pending elections we haven’t seen in many years, which at face value seems a good thing. But I heard a comment recently from a woman campaigning for a senatorial candidate who recently stood up to our president and declared his shame for the actions of our commander in chief, as if this should be a quality of significance to sway voter’s minds for this candidate vying for a senate seat. Yep, lots of folks are mad, our country is “reeling”, the economy is “strained”, and once the war and health care get resolved by a new president, new party, everything is going to be “OK”.
Kidding, right? Politicians judging politicians, and “we the people” choosing sides based on their “trustworthy” rhetoric. When I hear statements about how “either Clinton or Obama will do”, we just need a Democrat in the White House, I get even more concerned about what’s at the core of our problems in the world today.
Jesus said, let those without guilt cast the first stone at the sinner (paraphrased). Who among us doesn’t have bones stashed in a closet that may someday become a skeleton hung on the front page of a newspaper or blog for all to see and judge? Like many (if not most), I’m quick to “qualify” others. The bones stashed in the back of my closet don’t even make up a skeleton because I’ve not taken time to truthfully inspect my own flaws and heart issues, so there is no form. If the bones represent my selfish pride and deception, my lack of compassion and putting my imaginations and desires ahead of God, then I need to deal with myself first, not blame someone else for problems, whether perceived or real.
As I see it, the choices we have for our next president leave lots to be desired. They keep stumbling over their own words, waiting to pounce on each others “flaws”, tickling the ears of those who believe a new president (or any other human) is going to make life “better”. Newsflash, it all starts with humbling ourselves as a nation (2 Chronicles 7:14) and addressing real issues. Most folks in financial trouble don’t budget, they overspend wildly on credit cards, and refuse to seek the wisdom of experienced, honest counsel when making life altering financial decisions. Lots of people who are out of work have the opportunity to modernize their skills and improve their quality of life, most won’t because working at the mill or plant is all they’ve ever known. Obesity and dependency on a plethora of substances is rampant. Immigrants who enter this country illegally get better and more frequent health care than our senior citizens living month to month on a pittance of social security. Our neighborhoods are at war with gangs, pedophiles, and lifelong criminals who evade the law and impact our livelihood — but if we get out of Iraq, everything is going to be OK… right?
We laugh at Leno’s “Jaywalking” segments, when he asks people about well known history and even current events and they haven’t a clue as to the answer, funny, huh?. People who flood across our borders illegally rant about their supposed rights, but won’t stand to pledge allegiance to the flag; and our kids can’t sing Christmas songs if a teacher allows a child of non-Christian faith to stand against American tradition… the country we fought so hard and so long for is slipping through our hands so we can all join a sing-along around a global campfire — I for one don’t buy it.
How’s a new president going to solve what’s really wrong?
We’ve twisted, demeaned, and ignored God’s Word for decades. Our society continues eroding, so we point fingers at the president, our government, local, state, or federal, or whoever we can find to blame. I wonder what would happend if we took all the faith we put into politics and turned our eyes and hopes back to Heaven? Maybe, like, humbly ask God to restore this nation, to take us back to the mindset of our fore-fathers? Things are so complicated — the only thing I know to do is cast the vote I’m entitled to this coming November, and trust God to work out the rest. Sometimes going back to square one, back to simple, is the answer. God promises fresh grace and new mercy for each day, it’s up to us to go there to receive it.