The slogans, the nicknames, the bad jokes, the TV ads, blah...blah...blah. Tom Cruise may have made "Maverick" cool in the late 80s but John McCain has played that sucker out. And who'd have thought a word as common as "Change" or a slogan as simple as "Yes we can!" would begin to grate on my nerves like a "Head On, Apply Directly to the Forehead" commercial. I.am.over.it.
But you know what else? I've heard the term "afraid" more in this election than ever before. People speaking out for their candidate, remarking on "fear" if the other is elected. I am not afraid of either man. I don't believe either has the amount of power our country is currently trying to impose upon him.
He changes times and seasons, he sets up kings and deposes them...Daniel 2:21He is still God, He is still sovereign. When the votes are counted and one man is declared the victor, God will not be on His throne saying,
Oh, I didn't see that coming! There is a Kingdom calendar, and this next president fits into it one way or another, positive or negative. Our free will, our poor decisions, and the poor decisions of our leaders, can indeed take us unwanted places, but no man has the power to do or undo the plans of God. And I'm afraid in this election, our nation is trying to give a man that kind of power. The nation is looking for a hero, dare I say, a savior. That's what's scary, to see so many people looking to a man, one man, flawed no matter which side you lean toward, to "fix" our country. With that expectation, neither can be successful because neither has that kind of power.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations, He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for his inheritance. Psalm 33:10-12I don't know about you, but I want our nation to
receive the Lord's blessing, I want that for my children's sake. That is why I do feel passionate about voting, and passionate about how I determined who to vote for. I once heard a Christian man I know say something to the effect of
you can't select a president based on moral issues alone.
Hmmm. Really? Because that's exactly where I draw my line in the sand. Should I base my decision on taxes? Or
health care? Or where we can find oil? Really? I know those things are very important, trust me, I'm feeling the pinch of our economic troubles. I don't want to lose my health insurance or have more money taken out of my paycheck or pay anymore for gas than I already am, but in the end, it's money, and maybe comfort, but what about
life? Start there. We need officials who value what God values. So I start with life. When presented with two candidates with equal value of life, unborn life, then I would move on to taxes, health care, etc. If not, I stop. I'm done. Because how one values the life of the innocent tells me what I need to know most, it tells me how they value the power of God. And that's how I'll vote. To many people, even Christians, abortion is a secondary issue. Like icing. If all else is agreeable,
and a leader is Pro-Life, oh, that's just icing on the cake. Not so for me. Pro-Life first. I could argue this point all day, but here's what I believe it all comes down to:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13Life begins at conception. And I don't mean a biological division of cells, but the masterful creation of life by God. He is intimately involved in what goes unseen to human eyes. When we as a country decide it is okay to devalue this process and interrupt the masterpiece of God, we will not find His favor. End of story. Abortion is not only ending an innocent life, it is an act of disregard to the power, purpose and plans of God. That is dangerous. That is why I will vote McCain/
Palin. Do I think they can really fix what ails America? Nope. But life-valuing leadership is a place to start.
