Faith and Politics

I am reading The Case For Faith by Lee Strobel.  I am not sure why I am reading this book now when it feels like I am going through a time of asking my own questions about life and maybe even my faith.  My walk with Christ this summer feels shaky.  I am wobbly like a newborn kitten.  I feel bewildered, alone, and little bit lost.

If this disturbs you, I am sorry. Please go away. I have a point to this searching, but probably cannot explain it to you...I will let you know when I figure it out... I know that faith is believing and hoping against all those things I cannot see or feel. I know, having been raised in a conservative Christian home what all the pat answers are for the questions I have. I know how I should think and feel about life and people and God.  I know the Bible teaches what church is and means.

I don't question a Creator and His creation. I believe with all of my heart that God cares about every single detail of my life. I also believe He sees things I cannot see about my future and my children's future. I know completely that He holds the world in the palm of His hand.

What I don't understand is our hurting world hurtling itself as quickly as possible into self destruction.  And what can little ole me do in a one horse town other than pray?  And behave myself as Christ would have me to...That probably matters too.  

I was catching up on the news of our country yesterday, something I hardly ever do but plan to do better, (another post about this I think) also something I have always had a struggle with doing but am interested in largely because of teaching again and it being the year of a new president. I mean, the kids know more than we give them credit for and it is a good idea to give them interpretation to the media.  Yes?  So anyway, the news of our country always has the power to sicken me, but yesterday I was stunned how truly lost we are to all that is pure and holy.

And I was inspired because of words of one reporter mentioning that if we would all just do our part in our towns to improve respect and honor for our country and our leaders, then our world would be a better place in which our children could live. I agree, I think he is right.  But how do we do it, practically speaking?

Here's my answer...If I have a faith that stands, that is solid and secure, will I be running around like chicken little frantically saying, "The sky is falling!"  Because I know a lot of conservative Christian people who do just that.  They make broad statements about our presidential candidates and predictions about how they would potentially guide our nation. They talk about these things freely and voice personal opinion critically.  And it isn't always kind. They will even tell jokes demeaning the presidential candidates, also people that God made. And usually, these same Christians won't vote on election day. Very contradictory, that.

I was thinking about all of this and realized it has to start at home in your house where you live.  Do you talk kind to each other?  Do you say things with respect even when you do not agree? How are you talking about those in authority over you? How do you feel about God and His authority in your life?  Do you act like He has the whole world in the palm of his hand?  Do you believe in the power of prayer?  Do you follow the directions for conversation given in the Bible, the ones about edifying and building each other up and the verse about what kinds of things we should be thinking about? ..... What so ever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue and praise....

If we wish to have strong towns, then we must have strong homes.  If we are going to be involved in politics then make sure it is from a Christlike perspective, not how mine so often is, full of emotion and feeling with a great lack of faith. This is human. Words filled with emotion and feeling almost always strip the underlying steadiness that faith gives.  What our country needs is faith filled people that never stop praying and believing in the power of it.  People that lay their personal opinions aside and focus on God's truth.  If we can't do that using words, then maybe we shouldn't be talking.

You know the concept of being afraid or fearful of failure and so you do?  That is what this is like in the world of politics.  Those things you give voice to, that you are afraid of, with who our new president may or may not be, undoubtedly, they will happen. Voicing them can't prevent them from not happening, but what if instead we give voice to a hope and a future for our homes, our towns, and our nation?

What if instead, we concentrate on praying, "Lord increase my faith, help my security to be in You and Your control of world events."  Instead of entering the conversation of the lack of quality, (and by quality, I mean character of worth that loves Jesus and His ways) of our people in our nation, we make sure we are raising quality people and being quality people. Let's focus people!