trying to choose my words carefully

I haven’t been posting nearly as often as I used to… and it’s been even less often than you know because I’ve mostly been doing a bunch of posts when I have time and then scheduling them to post automatically over the course of a week or so. I’ve been trying to do a post since yesterday afternoon but can’t- something’s goofed up with blogger and I just can’t. So I’m trying the mobile approach- via email. Hope it works! ;)

Now for what’s on my mind.

I managed to keep my mouth shut (mostly) during the last presidential election as well as the recent elections. But there’s a new wave of political stuff just now… and it bothers me. A lot. It makes me weep inside. It makes me fearful for people whom I love.

God is not a politician and He doesn’t deal in politics. And if you think He does, come live somewhere outside of the US for awhile and watch. God works in spite of politics and politicians. What seems so clear to you and me in the setting we find ourselves in at this moment can look completely different if we move to where our neighbor is.

Politics used to fascinate me and I ate it all up, I voted, I debated, I loved it.

And then? Then I watched politics destroy friendships. I watched people who (should) have something much greater than political feelings and emotions between them get torn apart because of something so foolish and short-lived as which candidate won.

You know what? Politics is not religion. Religion is not politics. The 2 shouldn’t even meet. The power of God is greater than any power of man, unified or not, on this earth. God  keeps people in every corner of the earth in situations where the political situation is so corrupt and awful that fear rules. God keeps people in situations where there is no freedom at all. The venom that is spewing right now because of a political situation is enough to make me ill.

I quit voting, I quit discussing politics at all. We shed too many tears here in our tiny corner of the earth over a situation that was only made worse by political feelings. I hope I never go there again. Those were bitter tears. If you want to shed them- keep spewing politics at your friends who just may not agree with you but are trying to be gracious and not respond. What is between us because of God is much greater than any political party or sentiment. If/when brothers are torn apart because of politics… that is shameful.