April 2016 Articles

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Spiritual Corner: Try the Lamb

Try the Lamb
I’m going to be completely honest. I am not a fan of politics. At all. Honestly, until this year, I have never really kept up with anything political. I still am not overly involved with them, but this year I have watched a little more Fox News and read a little more about the potential candidates online. I have actually even discussed my opinions and thoughts with some people and allowed them to voice theirs to me. I’m telling you, I took huge strides in my political awareness this year. I even had a candidate, Dr. Carson, who I very much supported and still do, even though he is out of the primaries already. I feel that Dr. Carson was the perfect combination of humility and wisdom coupled with Christian morals and a strong sense of the scripture, “Be slow to speak and quick to listen”(James 1:19). However, even Dr. Carson is not perfect and with him eliminated from the possibility of being the Republican candidate for the presidency, I feel that I have become somewhat indifferent to what happens. I remember telling my dad that with the way the primaries were going it seemed like we would end up having to choose the “lesser of two evils” and that we’d be losing either way when it came to electing our next president. This discouraged, defeated, and indifferent attitude had stayed with me until I saw a church sign the other day that stuck with me and basically begged me to share. It read: “Disappointed by the elephant and the donkey? Try the Lamb.” That billboard was so beautiful and refreshing to me. We are in a period in the United States where political madness is jumping out at us at every corner. We are in a constant state of anxiety and worry about who will be the next leader of our country. We are also developing strong opinions about candidates and trying to force others to support who we support or we are condemning them for supporting an opposing candidate. We are in a competition of who is right and who is wrong and who is best and who is worst. We are creating ties with those who support the same person that we do and we are scowling upon those who support the opposite party or sometimes even a different candidate from the same party. We have allowed ourselves to become estranged from each other, rather than “One nation under God”. This church sign reminded me of a very resonating point. There is not a single person in this life who will not disappoint us at some point. I don’t care if it’s your best friend, husband or wife, mom or dad, or a political candidate; they will disappoint you. If they haven’t already, then just wait. I’m not saying this to discourage you or to talk bad about people. It is just a fact. People disappoint others because they are exactly that: PEOPLE. They are human and they are flawed. It says in Romans that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(3:23). That means that all of us mess up and make mistakes and disappoint others, sometimes even the people we care most about. So if sometimes even your most important loved one disappoints you, then why should we be surprised that our current political candidates are disappointing us at times? I’m not excusing some of the behavior or views of the candidates, but I’m just saying that they are human and they are flawed. We don’t need to be looking to a candidate to be the saving grace for our country. Jesus has already become that for us. It’s just like the church billboard said: “Disappointed with the elephant and the donkey? Try the Lamb”. I will admit that I AM disappointed with the republican and democratic candidates and this disappointment has led me to feel indifferent, frustrated, and discouraged. What this church sign reminded me of though was that in the midst of my disappointment, I must not forget about the Lamb. Jesus is the saving grace for our country. He is the answer. Always. Instead of simply wallowing in my indifference and disappointment with the candidates, I should PRAY for them and our country (1st Thessalonians 5:17). Instead of worrying about what negative things could potentially happen to our country when one of these candidates is elected, I should TRUST that God is in control(Matthew 6:25-34). Instead of bashing others for who they are supporting, I should be showing my FAITH through words and deeds and love(Matthew 17:14-21, James 2:14-26, 1st Corinthians 13:1-8). It’s true…our country could be headed down a frightening path in the future, but let me ask you this? Did God ever promise any of us that this life would be easy with zero trials or heartaches? No. He does promise to help us persevere through them if we trust and obey Him though. As an old gospel hymn sings, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through”. This is a temporary placement for us. We have paradise to look forward to if we have obeyed the gospel and continue to live for God. So instead of focusing on the shortcomings of the elephant and the donkey, instead of worrying about all of the negative things that COULD happen, let’s “Try the Lamb”. Let’s get lost in all that He is, all that He did and all that He continues to do for us. Let’s focus on His cruel crucifixion, His loving sacrifice, His magnificent resurrection, His beautiful promise to return for us. Let’s embrace the blood of the Lamb that covers the shortcomings of our fallen race and share THAT with the world, instead of our own personal, political agendas. I pray that today, and always, we will not only “Try the Lamb”, but CHOOSE the Lamb. Dana Bennett