God Bless America--Please!

I’m not one of those people who started a blog to rant about politics, government or religion (though I will not hold back or apologize for my religious convictions and might share some every now and then.) I really want this to be more of a lighthearted account of some of the funny musings that come along with learning to live with a boy, but, in light of the coming holiday and some recent news, I need a little rant.

For the first time in my lifetime, I’m actually scared of the direction our government and politics is headed. Though old “Slick Willy” had his moral indiscretions, I was not terrified by his policies and I didn’t suspect that he might be leading us into the Biblical “end times.” I was proud of the way GW Bush stood up and fought back against the 9/11 attacks and helped suppress Sadam Houssein’s rein of terror over his people. Those were controversial and tough decisions, but I saw the need and understood the reasoning behind them.

I do not understand why our Nation’s leaders think it’s a good idea to keep sending our national deficit further and further down the toilet to give more money to large corporations. I grew up in West Texas, a farming community, and learned a few things from the farmers who dominated our small town economy. First of all, you know there will be years your crops are destroyed by a hail storm. You should save for these times and, after you mope for a (very) short time, pick yourself up, plow your field, and plant and prepare for the next harvest. Second, you can’t live on insurance money alone. If you’ve tried your hand at cotton over and over again and still haven’t seen a profitable harvest, you might need to sell the farm and make an attempt at selling insurance, or maybe become a politician, seems like anyone can do that these days.

I do not think that government should own any of our country’s major corporations. I do not think that government should control anyone’s salaries (except for those who work directly for them.) I do not think that my choices in healthcare procedures should be determined by our legislature. I don’t trust the government to decide how many pre-natal tests and sonograms I should have done and who I should trust to do them when the time comes for us to start a family.

All that being said, my hope lies in this: I believe in the sovereignty of an Almighty God. I believe that the people in power are not there by accident but were selected to serve a purpose in these times and will, in the end, bring glory to God through whatever means HE has laid out. I am trying to constantly be aware of these truths and be reminded that our God has a plan for us and we know the ending is finding our home in heaven.

So, this weekend I will celebrate my freedom as an American. I will celebrate that God allowed me to be born and live in a country where I am free to worship Him publicly and privately and free to openly express my concerns about our leadership without fear of repercussions. BUT, more importantly, I will celebrate my freedom in Christ and the knowledge that no matter what this life brings, I am but a visitor passing through this world and my citizenship lies in heaven.

So, I’ve officially ranted about politics and religion. I promise I’ll take a break from that for awhile ;)