Nov 15, 2012

My concern for America

(published in Cordele Dispatch 11/15/12)

I have experienced a mixture of emotions since our recent election day.  My thoughts are not of any particular political party, but politics as a whole and how divided we are as a country.  I have disagreed with certain policies from former administrations and I am in shock at some of the policies of our current administration.  In regards to amendments in several states across the country, I do not understand how these amendments were even considered for a ballot, much less voted on and passed.  Where are God’s people?  While we will certainly not all agree on every political issue, I have come to realize the truth in the old saying, “You have to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”.  As a Christian, I am more determined than ever to take a stand for what is right and just based on God’s Word.  Just as so many others, I am troubled about the state of our country and the direction in which we are headed.
I awoke in the middle of the night after the election results with a heavy heart.  As a Christian, I’m rightly concerned with policies on the issue of abortion.  As a woman, I understand the argument that it’s our own bodies and we should have the right to make our own decisions about our healthcare.  But I have to question if some even know what’s best for them when so much of what they have been told is a lie. 
I believe all life is created by God and we suffer the consequences when we decide who lives and who dies.  A pregnancy may be unplanned, but it doesn’t have to end in the added hurt and pain that abortion causes.  I cried myself back to sleep that night thinking about the unborn – those precious aborted babies that will never experience the freedom that so many in our country have fought to give them...and are still fighting for. They don’t have a choice in the situation…..someone else decided it for them.  I know that many times abortion minded individuals are young girls that are alone and afraid.  They don’t think they have the option to choose life.  As Christians, we must stand in the gap for these and provide alternatives for them to help them to choose life.  In my opinion, the issue of abortion should take priority over our own “pocket books” when it comes to voting on political policies. 
As a Christian, my heart grieves for a nation filled with lost souls that are seeking fulfillment in temporary pleasures and desires, with no regard for right or wrong.  I grieve for a country divided, fighting about issues that were once considered immoral and unjust, but are now considered the ‘norm’.
The morals and values that once made our country a great place to live have slowly been disappearing through the years. Our society today demands instant gratification and looks for quick remedies to solve all of our problems and fulfill our selfish desires.  There is less regard for wrongdoing and the word, “sin’, is rarely used except from our church’s pulpits.  Biblical marriage is scoffed at and Christians are discriminated against.  Other religions demand their rights yet at the same time try to take away the rights of Christians.  America is considered the land of the free – but as Christians, we are slowly losing our freedoms.    
In an effort not to offend those who believe differently, the church has remained silent for a long time.  Many have been brain washed into believing that Christians have no place in politics and that our voices do not matter.  We have been silent for so long that when we do speak up, even in love, we are accused of being intolerant and out of touch with reality.   But our silence must come to an end and we must stand up for ourselves and the future of the church.  Our voices need to be heard and we must become more active in the political process.    
Today, I was reminded of Ronald Reagan’s speech at the First Conservative Political Action Conference: “We will be a city upon a hill.  The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world”.  I am afraid this is already happening.  Across the globe, opinions of the United States of America are not what they once were.  Our light has become dim.    
Before this election, many Christians across the United States were on our knees in prayer.  We have been praying for our current and future leaders and how decisions in Washington will affect us in the coming days.  Our prayers do not need to stop now just because the election is over.  The fight for Christian morals and values to remain in this country is not over. 
God hears His people when they call to Him.  He may not always answer in the ways we expect, but we can trust Him to do what’s best and work things according to His Will.  “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:12

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