(I think McCain is an awesome guy. Very few can claim the heroism he can, but doesn’t. The guy broke both arms and a leg and almost drowned when his plane was shot down in Vietnam (try staying above water with 50 lbs. of gear on your back…now try it with two broken arms and a broken leg). Then he survived a contaminated POW camp where he received little to no medical care for 5 ½ years. The fact that he lived is a miracle. This is not a man anyone should be calling “weak,” as I’ve heard my co-workers describe him. Read the complete story here: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html)
So, when I woke up on Wednesday morning to learn that Obama was going to be our new president, I must admit, I felt a heaviness in my chest. Admittedly (and hysterically), I got really quiet and listened for any noises outside that would indicate the end of world. Alas, I didn’t hear anything of the sort.
I realized that the impending sense of doom that I felt was irrational and stupid, but nevertheless, I still felt it. During my run, I prayed that God would change my heart. By the time I was done showering that morning, I was actually really excited about the election results. In fact, someone at work said I looked happy (which is huge for me since I apparently always look bored…at least according to one co-worker). I’m assuming he thought my happiness was because of the results of the election. My happiness had nothing to do with the election, and it had everything to do with the election.
Even though I didn’t vote for him, I’m glad Barak Obama was elected. *collective gasp* It was ultimately, the campaign slogans that won me over. Not his, mind you, but my own personal campaign slogan: “politics has officially become a religion”--this directed mostly at Obama 
supporters with their sparkling eyes gazing in awe at their candidate, deceiving themselves into thinking that he will be their salvation, and boldly proclaiming the gospel of “change.” But Wednesday morning, when I awoke with a feeling of emptiness and oppression, I realized that my campaign slogan also applied to me. Why would I have felt emptiness and oppression? Could it possibly have been because I was also putting a measure of my hope and security in the government? Absolutely! Would I feel that emptiness and fear if I had truly had God first in my life? Absolutely not!
supporters with their sparkling eyes gazing in awe at their candidate, deceiving themselves into thinking that he will be their salvation, and boldly proclaiming the gospel of “change.” But Wednesday morning, when I awoke with a feeling of emptiness and oppression, I realized that my campaign slogan also applied to me. Why would I have felt emptiness and oppression? Could it possibly have been because I was also putting a measure of my hope and security in the government? Absolutely! Would I feel that emptiness and fear if I had truly had God first in my life? Absolutely not! It’s sad, really, to realize that the sweep of a political party took another piece of my earthly security. But oddly, I feel free again! I feel like someone has stomped on the tidy little American Christian conservative box I’ve been carrying around for years that I have claimed contains God, only to find it completely empty. What a great discovery! You mean the God I love and worship isn’t bound by political parties, laws, and economics after all?? You mean the president is no longer my Christian spokesperson? Brilliant! (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against President Bush, but I think part of the reason so many people hate him is because he tried to install godliness in a nation that obviously is not interested in godliness. God didn’t even do that, and in fact, He refused to do it!)
To borrow from the president-elect, now indeed, it’s time for a change. This is our chance! This is an incredible opportunity to trust God; to live our faith. This is a chance for us to get our minds out of the law and into the Gospels; to get our hearts out of politics and into the body of Christ; to get our hands out of Washington and into our communities. In essence, this is a chance for us to stop being politicians and start being apostles. Brothers and sisters, this is what we were made to do—everything else is just a distraction…it is false security…it is weak…it is corrupt…it is fully human!
Since I have no particle of hope in the government anymore, I HAVE to put my hope in God. That’s extremely freeing because I know God will never disappoint the way politicians do. God doesn’t have to be re-elected, He doesn’t have to give inspiring speeches, He doesn’t need to spend billions of dollars, He doesn’t need to convince us of His ability to do the job. He is the beginning and the end of everything. We don’t need a president to redeem us; we have a God who ALREADY HAS redeemed us!
So, why is Obama’s election victory good for me?
…Because it gives me another perfect opportunity to trust God!
4 comments:
ALISSA! Thank you so much for this writing! It is truly an inspired piece and really gave me a lift. May I encourage some others who are really discouraged by election results to read it as well? Bless your heart!
Yeah, it really isn't the end of the world that some people are claiming. I think it's kind of cool to be alive when the first African American president was elected.
A. Linda, I'm so glad you were encouraged!
JR, it's definitely cool that we get to see the first black president....and I kinda hope we're still alive to see the end of the world, too.
Not for me, heck no. I wanna grow old and die before the world ends. Just in case I'm wrong and the rapture doesn't occur before the tribulation... :D
I don't wanna find out!
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