Keepin it real for my Peeps Monday!
Many of you may be shocked and horrified at this post. Sorry…. well kind of because this is about as real as it gets for me.
For many years now, I have been processing through politics and my faith. You see, while I was in college, I spent a very small amount of time in Florida Blue Key which is the collegiate level of politics. Let me just say, if that is a small microcosm of what happens on a National Level, I am skeptical to say the least.
Every time I go down the road of even educating myself on the possible candidates, every sort of whistle and bell goes of in my mind. For me, I just can’t vote with any passion, because although I am thankful for my country, my allegiance is to the King of Kings and Jesus is the only person that can heal anyone or anything. In my mind, it is incredibly hard to be authentic in one and do the other. I am sure there are people who can very well, I just can’t right now. Maybe one day I will. I wonder if Jesus was walking the earth right now, if he would even give a hoot about the elections?
I remember the day distinctly, when it hit my like a ton of bricks. I was sitting in a very large church service and the pastor read the passage form Isaiah about “If my people who are called by my name…etc. etc. etc. and related the whole thing to America. I almost stood up and said “Excuse me sir, isn’t this passage dealing with the nation of Israel and not America?” That was when things went a little south for me, and I am still trying to make since of it all. Seriously, I couldn’t even have my kids go to AWANA because they were making them pledge to the American flag and the bible. All I could think was, NO WAY! I don’t want our kids to think that being an American means they follow Jesus or even worse vice versa. That is a whole other discussion.
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for Honor and service and submission to authority, just as long as we know we we are honoring, serving and submitting to. OK - I don’t have tattoos and a nose ring, I don’t live on a commune, I am just an ordinary person, who lives in a suburb and drives a minivan by the way, trying to make since of all of this political stuff as it relates to my discipleship to Jesus. So. Shane Claiborn’s book Jesus for President is on my reading list.
I am almost scared to ask, but any comments?
