A Dangerous Election

 

As a follower of Christ, I don’t proclaim faith in policies, politicians, or the promises offered by such. These are not worthy of my faith. Only One is worthy. Yet, with discernment and the understanding that I’m not voting for a savior, I will vote. If there is danger in my decision, so be it. Danger is inevitable, and perhaps more so if my decision is to offer no vote at all. I’ve heard that 40% of evangelical Christians will not vote in the presidential election. That is dangerous.

Here are some dangerous provocations about, let’s say, the super-rich champion of patriotism:

…the twice-impeached former president, now also a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist, demonstrated that, since leaving office, he has become only more vindictive and deranged.     

           from Commonwealth Newsletter

Donald Trump is spreading a dangerous mental illness to his supporters.                                

           from Raw Story Newsletter

…are ready to declare that President Trump, whose actions are often described with neutral terms like “unprecedented,” is in fact dangerously ill.    

            from a bunch of Yale psychiatrists

I could go on—there is no end to it.

But danger crosses party lines. Here are a few statements about, let’s say, the middle-class champion of the future:

Far from improving outcomes by “reimagining” public safety, Harris’ approach to law enforcement would endanger our communities, continue to imperil the law enforcement profession, and place the interests of law-abiding Americans squarely behind those of the criminally convicted.    

            from America First Policy Institute

…Harris was a dangerous authoritarian with an unlimited appetite for power who displayed contempt for the Constituton and no regard for the rights, dignity, faith, or reputations of anyone in her way.  

             from National Review

[Senator] Cotton added: “Kamala Harris is a dangerous liberal. She makes Joe Biden look competent and moderate by contrast.”    

              from The Guardian

Again, there is no end to the reproach. But opinions are just that, facts are facts, and the slant is obvious. As for the VP’s, let’s say, the backwoods boy and the old mega liberal: Not that Vance and Walz run in the danger-free lane, but considering their recent debate, maybe the presidential candidates should just stop talking and let their VPs address the public. Seriously, enough with the superfluous quips and the word salad.

Does this election matter? The whole world is in a heap, and the President of the United States can’t fix it. That’s no excuse to skip the vote. Maybe somebody can uphold the Constitution, for the present. Maybe life (all of it), liberty (without fear of oppression), and the pursuit of happiness (not to be denied or taken away) will stir another generation. Maybe there is someone who could preserve America’s standing in the world a little longer—one who might suppress the rousing of WWIII. Maybe economic disaster can be avoided. Maybe we can mend the slippery grasp on our property, our profit, our rights, and our freedom. Maybe. But I’m not putting my faith in it.

Nevertheless, my faith tells me to pray for our leaders, and, if possible, to live at peace with all people. That may, in dangerous times, become very difficult, but I choose to trust and obey. No matter the outcome.

Absolute Rest for Your Soul

 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

These words follow a prayer in which Jesus praises His Father for revealing the secret things of God not to the wise, or accomplished, but as to children, meek and unspoiled. This wasn’t meant to exclude anyone. Assuring the hope of the Gospel for everyone, Jesus begins His invitation with the most inclusive words: “Come to me, all…”

The great proclamation of rest and release is one that most believers have memorized and clung to with deep hope. It is the exhale, the sigh of relief, the respite from strife. So easily applied to our own daily struggles, the words give us permission to take a timeout. No matter the nature of it, work is hard. It weighs us down, whether physically or mentally. We all need a minute or two to rest our weary bones, to cease from the struggle. We can’t hold up under the pressure of what we’ve brought on ourselves, and we need God to give us a break.

Wait. Is that what Jesus said? Maybe, right now, that’s what you need to hear, and that’s okay. But it’s much, much more. It’s so grand and glorious that we have to step back and view it from a broader plain. Its promise is rich and eternal, and we can’t process it as simply a way to get through our current insufferable predicament. Its message carries us beyond the physical and mental, to the spiritual. We must, to find absolute rest, believe the instruction completely and apply it comprehensively. 

The first people to hear the bidding to come and rest were steeped in the tradition of God’s covenant with Israel. Imagine their burden. All they knew was the to follow the law. All of it. Every degree that to us seems to demand the impossible. It was, for the children of Israel, a heavy burden, too great to bear. But then this Teacher, or Prophet, or Son of the Living God— if He was to be believed—came with something new. Something unheard of. In essence, Jesus told His listeners to stop struggling. No need to keep trying to work it out. He was about to take care of it once and for all.

Did those who heard this news understand the fullness of the repose that was about to be given to them? It was a gift, not to be earned, requiring nothing except to come and rest.

Now, perhaps we have forgotten what those souls of Israel once knew. We can’t truly grasp what it was like to live under the burden of the law. But we do know that the law points us to Christ. We know the cross and the empty tomb. We know redemption. We have a Savior. And we can rest in Him.

Can we ask God for rest from what this world bombards us with day to day? Of course. But it’s not everything. In comparison, it’s really not anything, for this world will soon pass away. It is the burden of sin that’s too heavy, the yoke of the law that’s impossible for us to bear on our own. But the way of Jesus is light. His yoke on us is that we simply believe. His heart toward us is gentle. He rescued us by becoming a humble servant. That’s where we find rest for our souls, our eternally free, unchained souls. If we don’t have to work for it, what reason could there be not to rest in it? The yoke and the burden are no longer ours. They are His. Praise God and breathe that long awaited sigh of relief.

 

The Crutch of Religion, and What We Really Want

Anyone landing on this blog can surmise that I’m a Christian. Well, I hope they can. I don't try to hide it. But if you’re not of that persuasion, truth is, my faith is no more real than yours. Even if religion is not for you, we are no different. I believe in something. You believe in something. God. Prophets. Positivity. Energy. Nature. Money. Power. Politics. Science. Culture. Entertainment. Relationships. Self. My faith drives me, moves me onward. It sustains me. So does yours.

I’ve embraced something worth living for, worth dying for. And maybe you've made the same commitment. Maybe not. When it all proves too much of a task, you might want to let it go. At times, I feel the same tug. We really aren’t any different. We’re human beings foundering in chaos, clinging to something we hope will save us, or else, denying we need saving. Either way, you and I are the same.

The Christian holds to the promise of eternal life through the forgiveness of sins and the grace offered by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Muslim accepts one God, creator and sustainer, and wholly surrenders to God’s will. The Jew believes in the one true God of the Universe, giver of the law. Other world religions build their faith on the natural inclination of mankind to offer worship, to find purpose. Even the non-believer desires something that lasts, views life with longing eyes, seeks the meaning of it all, even if it ends in discovering there is no meaning at all.

So, my faith isn't any different than your faith, or lack thereof. We all search for  something. In my case, I took up Christianity and stuck with it. It’s a faith group, a belief system. One anybody can join. Just find yourself a good church and plug in. But if you prefer, find a good mosque, or synagogue. Or get yourself a little Buddha statue. Or something. Or worship the moon. Or join in a social movement and see if that does it for you. Plenty of those to choose from right now.

Sarcasm? Little bit. I don't mean to poke fun at religion. Here’s the thing: Clutching the crutch of religion, in the end, makes little difference. It might offer peace of mind, a better life. And moral boundaries are good for the individual and for society. But any belief system can get you there. As it is, my ideas of good and bad and right and wrong might pit against yours at start a disagreement. Or a war. It’s been known to happen.

However, while my religiosity is no better or worse than yours, the One who called me to faith is different. The power of the gospel saves a soul from hell, redeems a generation, rescues a planet, and provides a way for all people everywhere to realize true freedom, to live unburdened in the presence of their Creator. No cost. No sacrifice. The cost has been paid, the sacrifice made. The calling? I’m no different than you, except that I answered when He called me. Think He isn’t calling you?  If you’re reading this, maybe He is.

What we all want, whether we admit it or not, is love. We want to feel it and express it. But it’s always an unfulfilled dream away. It doesn’t live up to our expectations. It’s fleeting. It does not satisfy.

Only one love doesn’t disappoint, no matter who you are. Regardless of your religion, your dislike of religion, the object of your affection, or the surety of your well managed plans, this is it. As the saying goes, we’re all in this together. And this is all that matters:

 

 In this way the love of God was revealed to us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

 I John 4: 9,10

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16,17