I didn't expect to start a blog, and certainly not on Election Night. But I'm an extrovert - at least a mild one. I need to babble to someone, and Amy would NOT appreciate being awakened right now. She actually thought that I should start one - and my wife knows me pretty well.
Tonight's results are not at all what I wanted. I prayed, volunteered, donated, and advocated for a different outcome (I'd be happy to explain why if you'd like). But here we are. So why am I smiling? Three reasons, and I hope they will make you smile, too.
First, our nation has elected its first black president. I do not bear any white guilt for the wrongs of my ancestors and other whites, but I know that, to many, Obama's election is a victory that goes beyond a bundle of policy preferences. To the extent that his election helps people to see a post-racial world and declares that we are far beyond the evils of slavery and Jim Crow, I am happy.
Second, we can all breathe again. For people like me who have been caught up in this season, relax. It's over. We'll have as much politics as we can want in the years to come, but it's break time for now. For the next few days I will stay away from the Drudge Report and my favorite columnists, and this makes me happy.
Finally, I've been listening to a song by the band Caedmon's Call. I don't know the name of the song, but it's a beautiful, melodic blend of two passages from the Bible: Ecclesiastes and Romans chapter 8. As Peter, Paul, and Mary famously quoted, Ecclesiastes tells us that "to every thing . . . there is a season." And Romans 8 declares that "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." Here's one of the verses and the chorus:
Late at night I wonder why,
sometimes I wonder why.
Sometimes I'm so tired I don't even try.
When everything around me fails, I hold on to the promise,
that there is a reason.
There is a reason.
He makes all things good.
He makes all things good.
A time to live, and a time to die.
A time for wonder and to wonder why.
There is a reason.
As a forgiven follower of Jesus, all things work for my good - regardless of health, wealth, tragedy, or political climate. This makes me happy. I hope you can say the same thing.
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2 comments:
A great reminder that God is in charge of all things. I hope to be proven wrong and that the next four years will usher in more good changes than bad. It will be interesting, to say the least!
Well said. One thing that really makes the U.S. great is our people's ability to peacefully accept the outcomes of the electoral process inspite of the intensity leading up to it. I, too, pray that the positives of an Obama presidency outweigh the negatives.
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