Elections

So things in the USA have been pretty crazy. My take on the whole experience has been unique due to different circumstances. I've become more and more disenchanted with politics as I've gotten older and as I am becoming more and more knowledgeable of God's Word. My first responsibility in voting is to honor God in my vote. So I take God's Word and find the things that are definitely not up for argument in regards to politics - mainly moral issues like abortion, homosexual issues, other deviant behavior, and taking care of widows and orphans in their times of distress. This election, like most, due to the political platforms of each major party, I am abruptly stopped in my need to continue much further in my research. This saddens me since the people in this country are capable of so much good, especially with our abundance. There should be less discussion on moral issues like those listed above since they shouldn't be up for argument anyway, hence the whole definition of the word "moral." But alas, people "interpret" things differently and we have the right to do so in the USA.

But then I think on these moral issues. The most controversial of all is, of course, abortion. Since my training and short experience working in a crisis pregnancy facility, I've learned quite a few things. First of all, neither side has been good at focusing on the women involved in these pregnancies. Both are focused on "the problem." But the baby is really not the main problem. These women are hurting and broken. They have been bombarded with propaganda from both radical sides of this issue that was agenda-focused and not client focused. If anyone wants to get through to these women and help them with their real problems and their pregnancies, then love needs to be the driving force behind any institution that claims to be at their service. Secondly, most women feel manipulated by the abortion industry after the fact. A huge percentage of women, close to 95%, who have had abortions, felt that they were not given enough information beforehand to make the best choice, which also led them to regret their abortion decision. Some of this information is their emotional roller coaster to endure either soon or years down the road that can lead to a 3-6x higher suicide rate than the average person. Hello! Maybe pro-choice isn't so great after all since it's not usually the most informed choice. And pro-life should mean pro-mother's life as well as baby's. Thirdly, the focus from most in the political arena on the pro-choice side is mostly for the "right" to be kept. In all honesty, I don't believe our right to terminate a consequence of what is usually a very consensual act for our own convenience or expedience is a very honorable right. And usually those fighting to keep this right haven't ever and probably won't ever find themselves in this situation. Unfortunately, the need for something like abortion is just a major symptom of some even deeper problems in our country.

All of this election season has also gotten me thinking about the rampant selfishness in our nation. Some people have been pouting and sitting on their hands these last eight years either politically and/or in their own community. The effort seems to be stimulated by whether or not your party is in power. This goes both ways. Shame on us Christians for doing the same when a non-Conservative we don't agree with is in the White House. This is not what God calls us to do. He tells us to pray for those in authority because that authority, whether or not used for good, came from Him. And I agree with Shawn Hannity when he says that he wishes that Obama is a good president. He wishes him well regardless of their vastly different positions because his term as president will affect us all whether we like him or not. Our futures depend on a good political season each and every time a president takes office. Our prayers should empower that person and aid in their stressful decision making day in and day out.

One more thing before I leave. I did not vote for Obama. I'll tell you a couple reasons why. I checked him out from before his campagin began last year. He is not the same man he was in his campaign that he had been before running for president. And that shows a huge lack of character. I didn't fall for any schmoozing. He played the middle road very well during his campagin despite being even more liberal than Hillary beforehand. If he stays that way, then maybe he'll be more inclined to relate to more of his constitutents, since the popular vote was 51% to 48%. And I did not vote for Mr. Obama because he lied to people on tv time and time again and people would just eat it up. Sigh...I wasn't excited about voting this election since I knew that no matter who won there would be mass amounts of hate and irritation running thick through our country about something we now have to live with no matter what.

Change is something we can all control. And if we want to see real change happen, it starts with you and me every day as we interact with others and live out our convictions. It begins with loving and serving others and making the most of our situations no matter how irritated we are. I'll never rely on government to change my outlook on life, my financial situation, or my success. That is entirely up to me. And it's seen through my eyes on how well I've done in life. As long as our land is free, these statements will always be true. Be proud of your country no matter who sits in the oval office. You'd be amazed at how better you'll feel when you start to be positive and encouraging instead of condemning and pessimistic. I'm out!