Elections and the Elect

Today, Americans will elect the next President of the United States. It has been a long and unusually divisive campaign season.  I'm certain I'm not alone in breathing a sigh of relief that it will finally be over.  At times the negativity has threatened to rip the last bit of joy from my soul. 

Presidential elections should be a time of hope.  Campaigns should be about ideas that will further our democracy and elevate our way of life.  They should raise awareness about things that need improvement and the ways in which we might unify and make those improvements together as a nation. Ideas, reasoning and inspiration should be central in our Presidential election process.

This election cycle was none of those things.  It was hopeless, ugly, disingenuous, arrogant, divisive and lacking in any meaningful dialogue about how to make our nation better for the next generation.

As a person who loves this country and longs to be inspired by true leaders, it has been discouraging to say the least.  However, I remain hopeful no matter who wins the election today.  And, so should you.

My hope isn't placed in any man or woman. Our future is not in the hands of legislators or government authorities.  Our hope and future is in the One who institutes all authority.

"for there is no authority except from God" - Romans 13:1

I pray for the sake of our country and for all of us who hold it dear, that we will accept the outcome of this election with grace.  May we embrace one another in reconciliation and with hope for more unity in our future.  

Let us put our hope and trust where it should be - in God.  Humans are just that - human.  Fallen, unjust, unrighteous, sinful.  Whether Clinton or Trump wins, each is an imperfect person in need of God's redemption.  And, so are we.  

After the votes are counted and the leaders chosen, let us move forward TOGETHER in grace and unity, striving for a better future for our children and grandchildren.  We are THE ELECT of GOD!  Therefore, as God's chosen people, let us represent Him in worthy fashion - as people of faith, hope and love.

"Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,
or take such a thing to heart,
that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect,
and that he watches over his holy ones."  - Wisdom 4:15

Be love in a dark world,

Longing For The Freedom To Be Broken

Most of us have walls around us. Walls that we've erected to hide our own brokenness. Yet, we long for the freedom to be broken, to let down the wall and allow ourselves to fall apart so that God can put us back together. We long to release our pain and experience true healing. So, what is stopping us?

The walls we erect are fortified by our own pride and foolishness. We are too proud to admit that we are 'those people'. We think we are completely different from those who are down in the "gutter" of life. Believing we have nothing in common with them, we don't care to be in their circles and especially not in the same room (or on the same church pew) as 'those people'.  Truth be told, we are one broken relationship, one paycheck, one drink, one drug addicted child, one night of unprotected sex, one sexual assault, one serious illness, one abusive relationship, one temptation away from being one of those on whom we loathe, or pity, or both.

When we admit to ourselves and those around us that we are broken and need God to repair our lives, we experience a freedom more powerful than any fortified wall. You see, the Divine Potter glues our broken pieces back together with Himself!! His very Spirit is infused in us and wraps around every heartache, every pain, every mistake, every sin, every piece of brokenness in our lives, and that Spirit mends us and transforms us into something brand new and beautiful and blessed.

But, first we must acknowledge that we are one of 'those' people! We are the adulterer, the drug addict, the assault victim, the mentally ill, the abuser, the alcoholic, the debtor, the shunned - at least we are only one blink from being any or all of these. No matter how perfect we think our lives are, we are all broken. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. US. BROKEN.

But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us. - 2 Corinthians 4:7

My prayer for all of you today, is that you allow yourself the FREEDOM to experience your own personal brokenness, and that you seek Jesus so that your human brokenness may be transformed into a beautiful clay jar infused with the golden Spirit of God Almighty. May you find the beauty in your brokenness and the deep joy of knowing that the Creator of all the universe loves you enough to knit you back together with His very own divine Spirit.

Amen.