Written by MKH .... (and yes, posted on her blog - I cheated and just copied it...lol)
OK. I normally wouldn't interrupt a day of school to post something, but I decided to make an exception, considering what went on last night. No, I don't normally blog about politics, and I don't plan to start blogging about politics, but I think this election earns an exception. (I should put first though, that if anything I say makes you mad, please don't stop reading--scroll through everything I say if you must--but at least read the article that I posted after this. It's really good, and I think everyone should read it.)
I'm going to be frank here. Yes, I voted for McCain, and was proud to. Although I can't say I was particularly pleased at the outcome of things, I've accepted the fact that Obama is going to be our next president, and am very proud of the fact that America has just elected its first black president. I think that is a great accomplishment. Now... I hope I don't step on some toes here (though it's hard not to when talking politics), but to those of you who think that Obama is... a muslim, a racist, the antichrist, a communist, or just plain "evil", I strongly disagree. Obama is a human being. Why do people hate others and accuse them of all sorts of things, just because they have a difference of opinions and beliefs (controversial as they may be)? As far as you know, one of your best friends could share the same views as Obama.
In some ways, Kerry, in the last election was much worse than Obama is in this election, yet no one accused him of anything even close to as radical as what people have accused Obama of. I've heard so many people say of Obama "He needs God." Well...don't we all?? "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" -Rom. 3:23
Now, I'm not saying that I agree with Obama's view points. There are quite a few things that I disagree with him on, some more strongly than others. One of my biggest problems with him is his stand on abortion. But I don't disagree with him on every single aspect either (though I'm not going to sit here and write out a list of all the things I agree or disagree with him on). I do think, (shoot me if you want) that there is some good in him, and whether or not all of his ideas are the best, that his intentions are good.
In a nutshell, I would have greatly preferred that McCain won, and am disappointed that he didn't, but I'm not giving up on Obama, am looking forward to seeing how he does. You know, he just might surprise you--I hope and pray that he does. And most importantly... know that God is in complete and total control. If anything, remember that.
All that to say, here's an article that my dad read to me and JA this morning at breakfast. Though the election is over, I think it still applies, and I would greatly encourage you to read it.
"Let Christians Vote As Though Not Voting
by John Piper
Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That’s because “the present form of this world is passing away” and, in God’s eyes, “the time has grown very short.” Here’s the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let’s take these one at a time and compare them to voting.
1. “Let those who have wives live as though they had none.”
This doesn’t mean move out of the house, don’t have sex, and don’t call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights” (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It’s over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.
2. “Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning.”
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).
3. “Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing.”
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.
4. “Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods.”
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here topossess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.
5. “Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it.”
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John" ---- Posted by Mary Kate H.
Noelle said...
One thing--Obama probably wouldn't part of the KKK, because then he'd be chasing himself ;-). Just thought you might want to revise that...
Mary Kate H. said...
Oh, I know...that's exactly why I put it in there...because it's completely ridiculous. Look it up if you want--there actually are people that accuse him of that. But I realize most people wouldn't, so I did take it out.
Fredric said...
Though I would've put my two cents in for McCain (or written in Ron Paul) and decided on different propositions, the time came too late and I was unable to carry out my small duty to my country.
Now that Obama is president, I can only pray that he will change things for the better (as he said numerous times). There's also this talk about race. Quite frankly, I've learned that the Human Genome Project determined there's only one race of human being, but we just have a wide variety of skin pigmentation. I don't care what color the president is, so long as he's qualified for the job. For certain, it's nice to see different color varieties getting along...but in my humble opinion they're making a bigger deal out of this "race" thing than necessary.
I similarly don't go into politics (I'm a biologist in the making, not a presidential candidate). Though I do take care to know what different candidates support and what different propositions will do if enacted, I try to just keep one foot in to ensure my beliefs are supported by the right political agents.
