Posted on 11.04.08 8:18AM under Live Your Journey
Neither. Seriously! They are not what we are looking for in this world — we are looking for God. He is our HOPE and the only one who can bring about real CHANGE.
Believe me, I fully understand what is at stake this year for our nation and our world in these elections. Like many others, I have allowed myself to get caught up in the hype. Depending on the daily poles my mood has either been upbeat or solemn. Truth be told, it has been a tough 6 months leading up to this day …
I am not trying to minimize the importance of being heard and voting. I already did so myself and I firmly believe that it is the duty, the responsibility, and the honor of each citizen to vote.
However, we need some perspective. Consider this from the book of I Samuel: Samuel has been called by God to lead the people of Israel — not as a king — rather a hybrid leader/judge/prophet. Samuel is advancing in years so he appoints his sons as judges for Israel. A bad choice to be sure because his sons were dishonest. Let’s pick up the story there:
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, like all the other nations have.”
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I have brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods …” (I Samuel 8:4-8)
And so the line of kings begins in history for God’s people and continues on to this day (we may not call them kings any longer, at least not in the USA). We continue our search for someone to lead us. We long to have a someone who can show us the way. But we often look to others rather than to God. Feeling abandoned and alone we search for comfort and find a substitute. But these substitutes can NEVER take the place of what our souls really long for: an intimate relationship with the King of kings and Lord or lords.
Tonight the polls will close and we will have elected a new president. There will be millions rejoicing and millions mourning.
But regardless of what happens in the election, I will sit down and have dinner with my wife and two children. Then I will help the kids finish their homework and have them get ready for bed. After they have put on their PJ’s and brushed their teeth we will get on their bed and continue reading a story together (currently in the middle of C.S. Lewis’ “The Silver Chair”). After reading together I will put each in their own bed and then do our normal “bedtime routine”.
For my son that means snuggling up next to him, singing “Jesus Loves Me” and then praying with him followed by singing “Away in a Manger”. Finally I will say, “Goodnight, sweet dreams, God bless you, I love you and Jesus loves you”; and with my finger I will make a cross on his forehead and say, “You belong to Jesus” and give him a kiss.
For my daughter I will also snuggle up next to her, sing “Jesus Loves Me” and then pray with her. We will then sing, “Step by Step”. Then I will say, “Goodnight, sweet dreams, God bless you, I love you and Jesus loves you; and with my finger I will make a cross on her forehead and say, “You belong to Jesus” and give her a kiss.
Both kids will happily and peacefully fade off into sleep. And I will be again reminded of Jesus’ words, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
And after having done all of this and being reminded of Jesus’ words, I pray that I am able to allow Jesus to do the same for me: put His arms around me, sing with me, talk with me, and then take His finger and make the form of a cross on my forehead and say, “You belong to Me” …
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