politics

yes, yes...politics. strictly my opinion, my views, my voice. every time i sit down to write something, i am figuratively biting my fingernails because i think, "someone's going to hate this..." so, i'm truly sorry if i step on someone's toes.

that said, i think everyone should be more involved in our nation's political scene. even if it's just a little bit.

i think we've all been told that our vote doesn't matter. and we're all either cynics or sheep. we don't want to choose sides, so we don't vote on the presidential elections.

it's true that electoral votes are what truly count during those runs, but, popular vote is important, too. for me, it helps me to see that our current president did not win by a landslide, and that he is not what we all wanted. our nation is divided in what it wants. obama won with 50.5% popular vote. that's only half of the people who voted. everyone else was independent or romney (48%).

your vote matters in the election, but only if you've been voting locally. that's what i figured out this year. you put the people you want who vote for you during the elections.

this is just a short blurb, but i have to say a couple more things.

politics can be extremely overwhelming, and they never fail to push buttons on anyone who attempts to step into the ring. this is the way it has to be - everyone involved is intense! they are ambitious, they are full of ideas and dreams - the public figures who fall into official positions need to be passionate. our country is run by a government of passionate people, which is the makeup of almost every leader - they need a cause, and they need to get fired up about it, and it needs to be contagious.

so, it can be scary when you think about politics. all of it revolves around history, too. what happened in America, what happens all around the world - it touches on the rise and fall of many governments. it is also a visionary realm - the future is always at stake and in mind.

as a Christian, should you be involved? i say yes. i say, stop talking about how your vote doesn't matter and do something. i say, stop telling everyone that God is in control and then sit back to twiddle your thumbs and let history unfurl on its own. if you want your groceries purchased or your floor swept, do you pray for the groceries to come to you, or the broom to take care of the dust? no, get out and shop; get up and sweep. pray while you do it! if you want change, if you want reform, vote, and pray while you do it. pray for who's in charge now, but you're not playing your part by not contributing. as a Christian, you are defined by hope - hope in Christ and no other, hope in the future, hope in life, hope! it's what sets us apart! the biggest complaint i've heard from Christians is, "why should i? nothing matters. i don't matter." that sounds like sniveling to me. you are jaded and cynical! that's not hope! act in faith, i say!

on the same token, i don't think politics should ever become an idol. don't be obsessed. don't be demeaning. don't be stressed. if it does become a raging battle between you and the world, take a step back and reassess it with insight from Scripture.

every time i look around at what's happening in the world of politics - and, what's happening to Israel - and start to freak out, the only way to keep my heart from hammering through my ribs is to compare what i see with what Scripture has to say. get the big picture! Isaiah is masterful at grappling with the Lord over His identity, and stepping onto a firm understanding of the future, of time!

but, i figure, since we are here. since we live in one of the only countries that has a free society, we should educate ourselves and take action. that's why i'm proud of the states who have tried to nab the president's attention with more than 111,000 signatures to petition a secession from the united states. just to say, "we're not happy with our federal government." i think it's a good thing. we've all been conditioned to believe that this sort of behavior is outlandish and childish, but it's not. aren't we a people's democracy? the government has gotten so big, it's hard to communicate in other ways. we need petitions to make our voices bigger.

just as a sidenote, i personally, i think it would be a bad move - it might be fun for a little while, but it's dangerous in these times. but i love that we are trying to exercise our freedoms. i think we've been stamped out, pushed down...and not just by the big leaders! by each other! Americans hate Americans almost as much as everyone else does. always bowing and apologizing and demeaning ourselves. i don't think we ought to be stuck up and proud, but i think we should just live! just accept that we are Americans and we're not perfect, but we are people who live in the united states! i don't know of any other country that's ashamed to hail from their own nation. it's pathetic. i know we have glaring flaws, but we can't keep putting ourselves down! what failing student ever did well in school because he kept telling himself he was terrible, ignorant, and a bad person?? he needs support, encouragement! not to be battered by his teachers, peers and self! who do we think we're kidding, tearing ourselves apart with cruel, belittling words?

anyway. that's all for today.