This past Wednesday night, after putting the kids to bed, my husband and I begrudgingly settled into the Presidential Debate, neither of us being huge fans of the political world at large. We don't have cable right now, so it was basically our only choice of T.V. viewing.
With my mind half in twitter/facebook land and half in the debate, I began to become intrigued by what I saw on the screen and disgusted by what I saw on my computer.
On my television, I saw 2 well-educated, cordial men in a spirited debate about policy.. something I'm pretty sure our country hasn't seen in awhile. They were courteous, yet firm with one another and I quite enjoyed it, even though I admittedly didn't understand half of what they were talking about. There's nothing quite like two men disagreeing like gentlemen. It's quite an art and I'm fond of it. Now, there was obviously a clear winner (cough*, Romney*), but both men conducted themselves well.
My computer screen was a different story; Friends, people I knew well, all ages, CHRISTIANS being anything but kind, courteous, and Christlike... and as usual, I became very irritated and have spent the last close to 24 hours trying to figure out why. (My poor husband.)
I finally found the answer, but it first needs a disclaimer. Some of you know that I get very passionate about what I write. And 99% of the time, what I write about is either a) What God is teaching or has taught me about any number of things or b) The Church's role in society. The bottom line is, however, that ultimately, I get passionate, because God is discipling me and teaching me. He's not going to give me a Word for others without giving me a "spiritual spanking" first.
Now, here it is:
Am I worshipping something or someone more than I worship God? Do I have an idol? If so, how is it not only effecting my relationship with my Jesus, but with others around me?
I have a confession. My idol is not politics. I'm more along the lines of husband, children, chocolate, and people pleasing.
However, the same theory applies and I'd like to speak to 2 things that I think we should remember during this election season as we go all crazy over our two "American Idol" presidential candidates.
1.) These two men are REAL,LIVE, FLESH-AND-BLOOD people. They need Jesus like the rest of us. He created them. I'm not sure that either has Him. As Christ-followers, our ultimate desire should be that these men repent and come to a greater knowledge of him, not for "the sake of our country", but for the sake of their souls and God's glory. How are we to marry praying for their souls with slinging mud at them?
Now, you may argue that when these men chose to run for president, this is what they signed up for. Of course. Disagreement with policy. Dissatisfaction with with the way things are being run.
Not personal attacks from people who claim Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we forget that Obama is a father and Romney a grandfather of impressionable children. I can't imagine being Michelle Obama and trying to shelter my children from the mean words hissed about their father by none other than those who call themselves Christians. The same goes in the opposite direction. As much as my babies love their Daddy, Papa, and Grandad, I think it would be mortifying for them to hear such harsh things. These men may have chosen their career paths, but the children didn't have a choice in it, and we need to keep that in mind... spoken like a true mom, right? ;)
2.) These men are JUST people. Amen? I love 1st and 2nd Kings because it reminds us that when the people ask for a king, some of them do what is right in there own eyes, some do what's right in God's eyes, but NONE of them can consistently, completely, wholeheartedly take care of the people the way a Sovereign King Jesus can. Yeah, I get chill bumps just thinking about it.
Ryan and I were discussing this morning how we desire a change in presidents because we are concerned about the huge deficit and how it will effect our children. But the bottom line is this. No matter what happens, the U.S. president is not the Author of Salvation, Lifegiver, or Wonderful Counselor. He is a president who will reign for 4-8 years and eventually return to the dust like the rest of us. Why turn my face to him? Why lean on him? Why tremble in fear and anger at the thought of him getting re-elected? I know the KING OF THE UNIVERSE! Obama and Romney have no desire to have a personal relationship with me; they just want my vote. On the flip side, the King of Kings desires an intimate walk with lil' ol' me. He wants me to sit at his feet and know all my thoughts, and he's not feeding me a line! My friend and Savior Jesus knows the end of the story, and know matter what comes to pass in the lives of me, my children, my grandchildren, and on down the line, He'll be there. That's all I need to know.
So, back to the point before I start (or maybe finish) preaching :). We really should enjoy our chocolate, our spouses, our children, our presidential debates, and our ball games. But, Church, let's keep things in perspective. Worshipping/Obsessing over these things not only leads to trying to fill a Jesus void with something earthly, but it also leads us to bitterness toward those enjoyable things he has placed in our lives because they will never live up to our heavenly cravings. It will cause us to say mean things, and let's face it, look pretty darn ugly to an already skeptical world.
