Times have definitely changed! I have no other words for it than to shake my head and to think about how much things have changed. The Presidential election of 2016 has exposed some very deep, dark secrets of our society and has pitted us against each other in a way I have never experienced before. Friends are now enemy's based on political views. We feel vindicated to talk about each other and to gossip about the way they express their views. Lives are no longer sacred and twisting the truth is the norm.
I watched the news this morning with disgust. Political ad after political ad manipulated the information to advance the agenda of those paying for the ad. Were there truths in the ad? Some. Were their facts in the ad? Some. Picking out four words hardly justifies the context of information. Depending on the political lobbying group you get your information from, your "facts" can be skewed. Hate ads and slander seem to be the only thing we know. Have you watched a political ad that was positive lately? Have you watched a candidate campaign about thier ideas and how they will change things? I'm not just talking about the Presidential election, but all ads. Its much easier to slander than to take the high road. The last three ads I watched said "Exposed" in the tag line!
As I was driving my sweet daughter this morning, she made an innocent 13-year-old comment. I don't remember the exact words, but it was about why a woman takes a mans name after marriage. Why people will vote for a political candidate just because of race or gender. Why we are so preoccupied pitting one against another. After the last debate, we had to have an indepth lesson in partial birth abortion. Of course both sides are publishing things I wasn't ready for my innocent child to see. She can't wrap her mind around why such events would occur in our country today. The troubling thing for me as a Christian is how far removed from Biblical principals we have allowed ourselves to become. Just like political ads, we take excerpts from the Bible and twist them to fit our selfish desires.
As our drive continued, we talked about how the Bible is the perfect road map for our lives. How the principles contained in the pages show us exactly how we are supposed to live. Those Biblical principles defined why we as ladies take a man's name after we are married. Why we leave our parents to join his family. Why the man is supposed to be the head of the household. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about women having rights. I'm all about equal pay for equal work. I am the sole supporter for my little family and am a single mom. However, regardless of any actions, personal biases and emotions, we as Christians must allow our actions to be guided by the truths in the Bible.
The Bible also warns us of false prophets. The last few weeks, several ladies I looked up to as Christian moms and teachers have made statements that forced me back to the Bible and grounding my faith. I understand we are all human. I understand we are all emotional. I understand this political storm we are in the midst of is terrible. However it is important that we source our own information and not rely on those in the spotlight to sway our core beliefs. As Christians, we can't have it both ways. There are many things that the Bible tells us are wrong. It is not up for our interpretation based on our emotion at the time, or whose feelings we will hurt.
As I have watched the political arena unfold, we are a nation of wanting to have our cake and eat it too. We all must win and we all must get a prize. We are easily purchased for the right amount of money and we only help our fellow brothers and sisters if it benefits our agenda. There are long term consequences for living as, raising and acting spoiled. The trials we go through are merely part of life. If we live a life without trials, have we really lived? Romans 5:3-4 tells us "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Have we become a nation without Hope because we have no character, only because we have not persevered, because we don't know suffering? We are blessed to live in a country with immense wealth. We are blessed to have the freedoms that we do. We are blessed because our country was founded on the principles of the Bible. The further we remove ourselves as a society from those principles, and the foundation our constitution was based on, has created a road map for disaster.
It's a deep thought for the weekend, but I hope that you will think about the implications of our actions before casting your vote for the future of our country.
If we look at politics and base our views on Biblical truths, our country will once again prosper.
Until next time, keep adventuring and making the most of each day!
Sarah
p.s. On a lighter note, I'll be posting new recipes soon!
