Character Confession: For Shame
Years ago I was one of those passionate political people. I wasn’t combative, but I spent a lot more time talking about the election than praying about it. These days I’m more of a news junkie, and I seek God on a level where I want to see as He sees.
Elections don’t turn me upside down and inside out like they used to. I believe they are as important as ever, but I pray as He leads.
But shame on US. Us as people. Us as the country we are blessed to live in called America. Watching soundbites of both conventions there seemed to be a lot of puffed chests and dirt flinging. On Facebook I saw online friends rip others for their views. Make personal insults. All around get nasty.
When I think on this, I can literally see a cave full of terrorists with their legs propped up. Why do they need to make any evil plans to annihilate us? We’re doing a pretty good job dividing our country with harsh words. They probably laugh and estimate how long it will take before we eliminate our countrymen with our own laws, ideas, insults, and yes, hatred. I saw a lot of hatred this week.
Then our youngest pitched a fit because our son bought a used iPhone with his own money. With a new iPod in her hand she cried how jealous she was. And I lost it. Shame on us.
I took her to the Internet where we watched YouTube videos on poverty. We read an online magazine for kids from Compassion International. She learned girls her age walk a mile or more twice a day for water. That there was a boy walking the street with raw sewage passing him by. That treasured “toys” are rocks or rubber bands. Their faces? Not sad. Full of joy. Because they had Jesus and knew it was enough.
I feel this week we are ignorant as a country to the blessings we have. We have freedom, but lately we aren’t supposed to use it if it goes against someone else’s choice for president or definition of marriage. We still don’t have a clue how safe we are in comparison to Israel. We take water for granted. We take our family unit for granted–our skyrocketing divorce rates show that loud and clear. Those videos showed how so many children are orphaned because of AIDS.
My political talk these days is pretty short and sweet. I will always advocate for life and Israel. I will vote for the one who teaches us how to fish instead of giving us a fish. I know most people won’t agree and will want to debate me. Because of freedom, they have that right. But because of my heart to see as Christ sees, I don’t have time to fight.
But this week with all the nasty tweets, sad Facebook exchanges, and watching my child let go of her worldly perspective on things to open herself to the reality of a fallen world, I’m a FB term.
SMH. (Shaking my head._))
