Fed Up

I debated in my mind this morning just what to call this blog.  I thought of  "embarrassed" because I am a registered Republican but I am not at all happy with the behavior of those in this party.  I crossed party lines in the primary and voted for Obama but couldn't bring myself to pull the lever in the election in the fall.  I am "disappointed" that the Democrats scream just as loudly as the Republicans and don't do any better.  I am also "disgusted" that the intelligent, educated leaders we have elected in this country in both parties are acting like 5 year olds on a play ground.  I am "sad" that we can not find a way to dialogue about the needs of this country without polarizing others.

Part of what prompted my response was the tragedy that took place yesterday in Tucson, AZ.  It appears that the uncouth rhetoric of our politicians has triggered a response by someone who didn't see any better way to express his anger at things than to kill innocent people and wreck his life and the lives of others in a few short seconds.  The donations to either party this past year allowed them to spew this rhetoric across the air waves day after day in ads that took a "gun" loaded with words to their opponents. 

We as the people of this country and as followers of Christ are to blame for this young man's response in AZ.  Yes, we are to blame for his response.  We have not shown the culture around us how to appropriately disagree with someone.  We can't even civilly disagree in our churches which are supposed to be the body of Christ.  What we have modeled is that we have to go over the emotional top to express our viewpoints at whatever cost to those who have a different opinion.  We may not take a gun out and shoot someone but we "murder" them with our words.

Another trigger to cause me to respond this morning is an article in The Washington Post that someone posted on FB last evening.  It referenced a "parody" of the Constitution.  That's right I don't take seriously the suggestion that the Republicans want to see this obvious farce read at the opening of the 113th Congress next year.  The fact that someone could take this creative piece of writing over the top and sound the alarm is another example of an emotional response.  "The sky is falling," said chicken little.  We have had too many of those and the rhetoric has heated up until we can't hear each other rationally.

The Democrats don't have enough power now or before to trash this nation.  The Republicans that were elected a few months ago don't have enough power to fix everything they think needs fixed.  Those who follow Christ don't demonstrate the power that is available to us to bring this nation to sanity.  It is going to take all of us working together to fix what is broken in our country.  All of us are going to have to sacrifice, and that includes our perspective which we think is so right.  All of us are going to have to step up to the plate and quit talking about living a Christian life and start doing it.  We need to get on our faces and call on God to show us how to avoid destruction.  History has shown us that our humanity doesn't give us the answers we need.

It begins with calling our government and those we have elected to stop acting like children and lead us out of this mess.  And if they can't we need to show them how to lead...by our actions.  We need to demonstrate how to disagree without slaying someone's character.

Unfortunately, we have the same problems among the people who follow Christ.  I know confessing Christians who are radically Democratic and others who are radically Republican.  And again, unfortunately, they treat each other just like the government we have elected.  To top it all off, if the treatment isn't overt it is passive aggressive.  I have seen so many issues where a vocal minority has "had their way" by acting immature and dragging their feet when the Spirit of God was leading many in a direction they didn't want to go.

What gets lost in the whole discussion is the genuine needs of people around us who are broken.  How can we tackle the problem of homelessness?  How can we bring healing to the homes where 10 year olds shoot their mother because they were asked to bring in some firewood?  How can we reach the teens who are making life changing decisions because there is no peace at home?

I go back to something I heard Arthur Burk suggest.  We need to clean up our own individual acts by repenting of our failures to follow Christ with abandon, deny ourselves and allow the Spirit of Christ to give us the humility and anointing to address the problems we face with authority.  As long as we join in the mess of our culture we are only going to reap the fruit of that behavior.

God truly have mercy on us...both Republicans and Democrats alike.