Preaching to Myself: Politics and Peace

 Philippians 4:8-9 AMP

Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

If you know me, you know I care deeply for Public Education and how state politics affects it. So deep down I worry that if I only stare at the honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praise-of-God-worthy, I will be like the ostrich who puts his head in the sand and will become a silly buffoon who knows nothing of the world around me. This is because when I manage more of what God asks me to notice, I have more peace and less political engagement, missing out on the latest concerns. I don’t get the political memes on social media and feel rather dumb. 

But is all this “engagement” fruitful? Is it about something that I have any control over? Is it more important for me to share the goings on of state government or to share the word of Christ? When I hear the news, does it really make me into a better neighbor, friend, family member, or wife? Yes, I need to be wise when I choose government officials. In truth, it is only the action of voting that has the tiny potential to change my world for the better and this only happens periodically.

So yes, I need to read and pay attention to godly sources before I vote, realizing how tricky it is to stay informed for the vote without giving myself over to angst and worry. However, it is no big secret that in many political resources evil lurks. Even if I could run out and hold a sign in protest, isn’t it better that I hold a hand? The true power to change my world is really in Christ. Because if there is one thing I know, it is through relationships that Christ works and not through violence, a yard sign, marches, protests or even voting. Jesus demonstrated this in his 33 years in flesh. 

So it comes down to this: Which makes me what God asks me to be? Being informed on the political goings-on? Or walking this difficult life in the peace of God? If thinking on all the beauty and goodness of God pushes out my political concerns, and replaces it with peace, it is most certainly a win. This is my prayer: May I think on the beauty of God all day long and with every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.

What Makes the Difference?

 One of my favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. I know I’m not alone in this since it is considered the number one Christmas movie of all time. Like George Bailey, I sometimes question the difference my life makes. And is there really any distinction between a life lived in faith and a life with no faith?

Since I was a small child, I have been a Christ follower so I have no idea what my life would have been without that faith. I would like to be able to peek at the life I would have lived without my faith in Christ but I am smart enough not to want to actually experience it. I know the story written of Scrooge and what he saw was scary! Unlike the fictional Scrooge or George Bailey character, we don’t have this opportunity to go back and see what could have been. 

The song Thank God, I Do by Lauren Daigle addresses the same sentiment.

I believe this passage that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth gives us an understanding of life with and without faith in Christ. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV

Those with faith in God go through the same trouble as everybody else. We deal with opposition, slander, anxiety, suicide, depression, loss, tension, misunderstanding, and oppression just like those who do not have faith. Many Christians have been and are being tortured to their death. So what is the difference, pray tell? 

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With faith we have hope. Hope in the promises of God. One of his promises was that he would send us each the Holy Spirit to live our life with us. This Spirit is with us when we wake up, go to sleep and in all the boring stuff like washing dishes or taking out the trash. He is with us throughout this trek on earth. He speaks wisdom to our hearts and he points direction. It is our choice to listen and follow. No matter what scary moments this life on earth dish out, he is with us. When we tap into this power, we realize we are never abandoned and our spirit cannot be destroyed. We have hope in God’s promises of ultimate rescue when others go through this scary life without that hope. 

And he gives us love. It is the difference maker. Love is what helps us identify other Christians and know that we are not alone. God is love. And when we see love from a stranger or a friend we know we are seeing the fingerprint of God. God is the author of love. Without God, there would be no such thing as compassion, kindness,  patience, goodness, self-control, gentleness, peace and joy. When you meet a someone who has these expressions of love in their life, you are looking at a fellow child of God. Pay attention. Take note. Notice when you see these virtues. It will point you to a sister or brother in Christ who listens to the spirit within. (And the reverse is also true 😏, just saying.) 

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Know that all people will suffer injustice and loss. This life is hard for all of us. But the difference for those of us with faith is that we will never be abandoned and our soul will never be destroyed. We know from the promise of Jesus that this life is short and there will be a next life. This promise gives us peace in our hearts when the world around us may be falling apart. We know that the next life will be beautiful, satisfying and joyful. It is our treasure. This treasure is hope in the face of hopelessness and it makes all the difference. 

Hallmark Movies

 I am not a fan of movies where, in the end, the bad guy wins. And I don’t think many other people like them either. I am making this bold statement judging by the popularity of Hallmark movies. We want the good guy to win in our fiction as well as in real life. But more times than not, in daily life we see wrong appear to win over right.

You may have seen what happens to people who have allowed bitterness to rule their heart. Their thoughts become consumed with fear and malice and they slowly become isolated in their bitter world. All their joy has vanished. If we could trace the origin of their bitterness I believe we would find that it started when an unfairness, disappointment, pain, or injustice happened and they believed that wrong won over right. Do not discount this. Bitterness is a tricky ploy of the enemy and it begins with waving the flag of righteous indignation. At this point it is our response to this apparent injustice that matters. 

Guard your heart. We are told in scripture throughout the Bible to guard our hearts. But what does this mean? As we all know, our world is full of unfair situations and it is our response to it that matters to the health of our soul. We cannot control those situations but we can control our response to that unfairness.

I don’t know about you, but my gut response to unfairness and disappointment is anger. Then I shoot off my mouth. Then I internalize it. Then it plants a tiny seed of bitterness. Bitterness is an underestimated powerful, slow acting poison. The natural way animals know not to eat a poisonous plant is a bitter taste. This is a lesson from nature. If you don’t believe me, just feed a small child their first bite of broccoli and then duck. In much the same way as consuming poison, that seed of bitterness grows in my heart and slowly begins to taint my thoughts and words. If I continue to feed this bitterness with wandering thoughts and internet rabbit holes, it slowly poisons my heart and causes a long drawn out suicide to the spirit in me.

Praise God, there is an antidote to bitterness’ venom once it has a hold on my heart! It was given in the Lord’s Prayer. “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgiveness is the antidote to this poison. And Jesus must have known the destruction left by bitterness because he chose to address it in his model prayer. Forgiveness is anything but easy and it must become a daily habit until all the bitterness is gone.

Matthew 6:12 AMP – And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].

So what do we do to steer clear of bitterness when facing the apparent win of evil? Again we need to turn to the Bible. There are plenty of stories of injustice from Genesis to the New Testament. But my favorite response to injustice is in Psalms. Psalms is a book of prayers and praise to God. If you have read the book of Psalms through, you will be surprised by many of them. So many of them express fear, sadness and anger to God over situations in life. Some of it seems inappropriate by our standards yet those who were experiencing injustice boldly asked God for retaliation. They cried out to God in the honesty of their feelings. Here is an example from King David when folks were lying about him.

Psalm 5:8-10 NIV – Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

I believe that is the most appropriate place to voice our anger and indignation. As we become more tuned in to the Holy Spirit we become more sensitive to the injustice of this world. So after crying out to God, we must remind ourselves of who is really in control and in his almighty power which we cannot begin to fathom. God does not tell us that this surrendered life will be a cakewalk. In fact he tells us that we will have troubles but he has let us have a peek at the final chapter and it will be far beyond that happy Hallmark ending we desire.