The Undiscovered Country

Well ain't that a kick in the pants

It would be easy to get depressed about the national election results -- and even some local ones. The temptation to throw up our hands and give up on keeping our nation a prosperous one where people long to come here to enjoy freedoms not seen anywhere else.

I admit to succumbing to that most of the day today. I resigned to the idea that my son will not do as well financially as his parents or grandparents. He will not have the freedom to make health decisions without prior approval of a non-elected bureaucrat. He will not live in a world without high energy costs, insanely high taxes and have the freedom to speak his mind or arm himself for protection against criminals or a tyrannical government. I fear he will live in a world where life is cheap and disposable. The law will require him to celebrate sin regardless of his own morals. He'll have to endure living in an age when he will be accused of being a racist, sexist homophobe by the mere fact he's a white, heterosexual male.

The American public has resoundly decided that personal responsibility is passe, and it's all about what the government can give them while at the same time greedily taking away from those who actually contribute to society and the economy.

At the same time, however, I can help but think that life is supposed to get worse for all of us, that this is all by design by a God who has the big picture in mind.

If I read the Bible correctly, before Jesus comes again, the world will be a frightening, nasty place where Christians are imprisoned, persecuted and martyred. It'll be a world where no one can purchase any goods without a number tattooed on their forehead or hand. I both fear and am elated that those days are drawing nearer. I want to see Jesus return; I just don't want me or my family have to endure the tribulation beforehand.

It's also a bit of a slap to the back of the head, reminding me to get my priorities straight. This world is fleeting. Governments rise and fall. We live in a fallen world that cannot be changed by any man or peoples. What matters is eternity, and our job as Christians is to bring the hurt and lost to Jesus. That's our mandate, not make sure a Republican or Democrat is elected to office.

As Sarah Palin reminded me on her Facebook page today:

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 8-9

I'm reminded also that as long as we have the power to vote, we have the power to change. There's no need to lose hope just yet.