Disagree to Agree

How many times in the past few months have you been asked, Are you registered to vote? or Are you going to vote? or Who are you going to vote for??  It has come to my attention that this is a very important presidential election coming up, like all the other ones.  I've got to be completely honest.  I have very little interest in politics and I'm not going to vote for a presidential candidate this year.  I have heard convincing arguments for both candidates, others not so convincing, but I believe that the differing beliefs and values that people have are completely believed by those people.  Let's say candidate "A" believes 3+3=6 and candidate "B" believes 3+3=7.  Yes, one is right and one is wrong, but they both completely have faith in their answers.  In my mind, I've had a hard time being convinced that either of these candidates know the right answers.  There have been questions of adhering to the constitution, health care I hear is a big issue, the federal government's role, abortion is always an issue that weighs heavily into many American's choices.  "Of course, I know the correct answer to 3+3 is 6," some eager voters may say, but the question might be What is the capital of Uruguay? in which case the answer is not 6.

One of the biggest reasons I have had a difficult time getting involved with the political world is because I so often see a lack of communication between parties which results in a lot of bad-mouthing when people are isolated from the other side.  Have you ever talked about someone behind their back and then they awkwardly walk into the room and hear what you say?  I don't think that shows much integrity and I know I've done it.  There's an element of Which candidate will best suit my needs? or Which candidate will bring my family success? or even Which candidate will help my country improve?  The decisions we make as individuals, families, and as a government are often times selfish.  We rarely think about other people's needs first, other families' needs first, or other countries' needs first.  And how could we?  We know our situations better.  We are often isolated from different people.  Do you have any friends or family members that will probably vote for the opposite political party as you?  If you have ever had conversations about politics with this person, I bet at some point you believed completely in your heart that the other person just didn't have a clue at what was right.

A little less than two weeks ago, I came home to an envelope wedged in our door that had written Your Neighbor on the front.  Confused and anxious, I opened the letter, wondering if one of my neighbors wrote us a letter (seeing how I don't know many neighbors, this didn't exactly excite me).  Inside the envelope was a pamphlet and two free tickets to the Gracias Choir's holiday concert called "Christmas Cantatas."  Yes, Christmas music on October 1st.  There was also a letter written describing the birth of Jesus and the truth of the gospel.  I looked in the pamphlet and noticed that all the performers were Korean.  It looked really cool....and free.  They tour all over the world.  It was being performed at the Florida Theatre so I had a feeling it would be decent.  So, my girlfriend and I went, got all dressed up, and went not knowing what to expect.  Four Acts.  First, choir concert style, all musicians on stage, beautiful green dresses for the instrumental women, red dresses for the women singers, and white suits for all the men.  Second Act, the birth of Jesus in a dramatic performance with costumes and elaborate sets.  Click here to watch part of this act http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrrGHBrFyxI&feature=related.  Probably my favorite part about the concert besides the music was the obvious ministry going on.  At the end of the Second Act, the actors and singers took a bow, you know, one or two at a time depending on who had key roles.  And then the most powerful part of the night happened, everyone on stage faced the back middle of the stage where the little baby Jesus doll had been placed in the manger.  They all knelt and bowed towards Jesus and while they were still bowing, the curtain came down.  I had gone to a concert to hear some talented musicians sing some Christmas songs, and the performers gave a concert to point our direction towards Christ.  It almost seemed like going to church.  God is definitely working through that group.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write that much about the concert but what I did want to share was that my girlfriend and I were having a rough night of communicating.  Many of our arguments are silent ones.  We both like to think and process things before we say anything to the other person, but sometimes the silence creates even more tension and opportunities for making assumptions and worrying, etc.  It really was not fun to go through, but we're getting better at talking about things so that's good.  Anyway, I in no way feel that I have the world, God, myself, and others figured out.  I think a lot.  I love finding meaning in the meaningless, beauty in the ugly, focusing on what's neglected.  I pray that my blogs will not come across as offensive.  I only seek that God would open up your eyes to how others see life.  In times when I think I'm right in an argument with my girlfriend, I often turn off the listening ears and inflate my brain with pride.  Yesterday, we went through the family questions that I included at the end of my blog post called Is a pump fake a sin?.  I gotta tell ya, creating the environment where no person has the right answer in a conversation is awesome.  We talked about our upbringings and it helped reveal why we value certain things and why we react to certain things.  No one person above the other.  An equal desire to understand the other so that there can be forgiveness and reconciliation.  I often hate taking responsibility for my own sins, but it's the only way to see.

I can tell you three things about the presidential candidates.  One, neither, I believe, are seeking the will of God when deciding on what and how to implement different plans of action.  Two, both, I believe, are prideful and unwilling to seek to understand the other side and reconcile anything between parties (not sure if this will ever happen).  Three, both are sinners, not one better than the other, and I believe both need the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Both need our prayers.  I'm telling myself that too y'all.  I rarely, if ever, pray for those in important positions in government.  I know my heart needs to forgive many people for the negative ways I've seen them use politics as an self-air pump.  I apologize if this blog offends or shocks or saddens you.

I challenge you to show a love that seeks to consider others better than yourself, maybe by listening and understanding where someone is coming from.  "Well, I grew up in a secluded village where they taught that 3+3=7.  That's just the way I was raised.  I didn't know any differently."  Well, they still may be wrong, but at least three things were created--understanding, communication, and some form of relationship.

Are you ever wrong?  Do you ever admit when you are?  It's hard.

Please pray that I seek to obey God's will above my own selfish desires.  Please pray for the presidential race, not for a particular candidate to win, but rather that the campaigning and conversations you may have with others will demonstrate an unconditional love that glorifies the Lord.  This can only be done by the grace of God, not by any human strivings.

For you name's sake, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.  (Psalm 25:11)