Living In the Presence of God

Your Political Posts Have Changed My Mind

    About five years ago, I reluctantly created a profile on Facebook when my then 13 year-old son asked to join.  In just a short time, however, I became somewhat of a Facebook junkie.  I have enjoyed catching up with old high school and college friends and connecting with the new people I have met along the way.  Time easily passes as I thumb through a friend’s pictures, laugh at the funny things their kids say, or read the articles and the encouraging insights they share.
    During this election season, I have seen my Facebook wall light up with political posts that promote some healthy and some not so healthy political discussions.  The debates go something like this: One friend will post a sentiment urging Christians to vote Republican; another will post why the Democratic vote should be cast; yet another will chime in, “Neither view is right, we all need the hands-off government approach of the Libertarian.”  Inevitably, someone will post an e-card saying, “‘Wow! your Facebook post about politics has changed my mind and my vote.’ said no one EVER!”
    Well then, let me be the first to say, your political posts have changed my mind, or at least they have helped me to think through my political views.  They have encouraged me to make sure what I believe lines up with Biblical principles.  I came into this election year a fairly stalwart Republican, believing that no other political view fits within the Christian ideals better.  As I have read my Facebook friend’s political posts, I have taken the time to think through the ideas, challenges, and positions of people who have different views.
    One challenge in particular that has made me reconsider my political views is the following: Even though Christians ought to believe what the Bible says, they should not vote for amendments or particular politicians based on their Biblical beliefs.  The government does not have the right to legislate morality.   This argument took me back.  My very articulate Facebook friends who promote this idea seemed to have a corner on the truth here.  The Founding Fathers established our government on a principle that mandates the separation of church and state.  After all, it seems logical that we should separate our religious beliefs from the way we vote.  Even though this argument sounded right, I had a nagging suspicion something about it was wrong.  I searched through the Bible and read through the opinions of several of my favorite authors on the role of government and a Christian’s response.
    One pointed passage in the Bible on the role of government comes from Romans 13:1-5, where it states:

    [1] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, [4] for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

    This passage says that God establishes governments; the government’s role is to carry out God’s judgement; and our role as citizens is to follow the laws set up by the government.  In other words, the absolute moral standards that God established before the foundation of the earth which are written on the hearts of every man (Romans 2:14-15*), determine the laws that governments establish, regardless of whether they recognize the God of the Bible.  For example, the Bible says, do not murder and do not steal.  Most governments have written laws that prohibit and punish both murder and stealing.  These laws, that legislators write, reflect the moral standards that God has written on their hearts.  Since murder, stealing, and other crimes are defined by the morals of a people, it is, therefore, one of the jobs of governing officials to legislate morality.  Even more important, the closer a government gets to God’s moral absolutes in the legislation the more successful that government will be. 
    If we understand that the government’s role includes legislating morality, and that the moral absolutes established by God at the beginning of time trump other people's ideas of what morality ought to be, then it doesn’t seem logical to vote based on any other standard.  Earlier this year, many states in the Union proposed a marriage amendment, defining marriage as between one man and one woman.  We as citizens of the US had the opportunity to vote our morals on this issue.  Since God set our governing authorities under him, then wouldn’t it make sense to vote according to what God has established as a moral absolute in this case?
    So, for example, what does God say about marriage - specifically homosexuality?  Leviticus 20:13a states, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.”  I Corinthians 6:9-10 says,

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 

Since God calls homosexuality an abomination, and says that those who participate in these activities will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, shouldn’t we as citizens vote for an amendment that will uphold God’s moral absolutes?
    Well that settled it for me, at least until I saw another post that went something like this: If we vote for laws that impose Biblical standards on those who do not adhere to the Bible, then we are forcing our morals on those who do not hold to these standards.  We should, on the other hand, be tolerant allowing people to live according to what they believe.  This made me think. . . The most civilized governments throughout the ages have promoted religious tolerance.  The governing authorities who forced their beliefs on other countries, and even on their own citizens perpetrated the most horrible atrocities in the name of religious purity (the Crusades, and Bloody Mary are two the come to mind).  This argument sounded very plausible and even vitally important.
    Religious toleration, however, doesn’t mean the same thing today as it did in years past or even in the United States when it was founded.  The modern definition of tolerance promotes the idea that people should blindly accept and condone the beliefs of those around them and treat those ideas as equal to their own.  Traditionally, however, the definition of tolerance merely encouraged individuals to live in harmony with people of different beliefs.  Romans 12 is a great passage that describes how a Christian ought to live within his culture.  Verse 18 hits the point home, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”  As Christians, we are called to be tolerant in the traditional sense, but not in the modern sense.  God calls us to love those who disagree with us (caring for their needs, coming alongside them in their trials, and comforting them in their pain).  But he also calls us to confront them with their sin and offer them the hope of the Gospel.  This concept is evident in the Great Commission where Jesus encourages his disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20)  Since Christians need the Gospel just as much as those around them, this confrontation should be carried out with the utmost humility.  This means respectfully and lovingly share the truths of the Bible with them in a non-judgmental way, a way in which we would hope others would do for us when they recognize sin in our lives (Matthew 18).  If we believe the Bible is the moral absolute governing everyone regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation, then it is not loving to let them go on thinking their sinful behavior is just one belief among many.
    Wayne Grudem in his book, Politics According to the Bible, contends that Christians should boldly share their faith not just to their neighbor but also in the public square.  He provides the Old Testament examples of Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Jonah, Mordecai, Esther, Nehemiah, and other prophets who spoke directly to the Israelite kings and pagan rulers on behalf of Biblical principles calling these leaders to repentance.  Grudem also details examples from the New Testament like John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul, who just like the prophets in the Old Testament called their rulers to repentance.  Since God calls Christians to proclaim the Gospel to every creature, and the examples of Biblical characters who boldly proclaimed their faith in the public square, it seems logical that we as Christians should not shrink back from, at the very least, voting what we believe.  We might even need to go a step further and be an Esther or a John the Baptist of our time and proclaim the truth in the public square.
    My Facebook friends haven’t changed the way I am going to vote in this election, but they have helped me to clarify how to choose the best candidate.  Since God establishes those who govern, and He uses them to carry out his sovereign plan, I will choose leaders whose policies best follow the moral absolutes established by God.  As I present my beliefs with my friends, through my vote, and in the public square, it is vitally important that I do it with the utmost respect, humility, and love, tolerating people in the traditional sense.  In doing so, I will proclaim the truth of the Gospel, instead of encouraging people to think that the Bible is just one view among many.  If the outcome of the election is not what I hoped for, I can rest assured that it is God’s better and more perfect plan because it is He who places those rulers in authority over me.

*Romans 2:14-15 “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.”

One Friday afternoon, after we finished up a full day of school, the kids and I decided to make a run to the local Wal-Mart to purchase items for a gourmet dinner for two.  We bought cream cheese, crab meat, and pita points; all the fixings for a fancy salad; bread; salmon steaks; two kinds of wine (red and white); two individual cheesecake slices; fresh flowers and white tapered candles.   After we had collected all the food for the gourmet meal, the kids set about selecting the Lunchable of their choice.  By the time we got home it was already 4:00.  We had a lot to do in a short period of time, but we were pretty sure we could pull off the surprise before daddy got home at 6:00.  We got the antique china and stemware down from the cabinet and dusted off two place settings.  As I began to blend the cream cheese and the crab meat together to make the crab dip, my ten year old, started cutting up the vegetables for the fancy salad and neatly arranged them on the salad plates.  My eight year old carefully sliced the bread and put butter slices on the butter dishes.  My six year old took the lunchables up to the playroom and arranged them on the folding table with napkins and silverware.  The four year old started to set the table, but then became distracted by the cartoons on the TV in the living room.  So far so good.

The boys carefully arranged the bread dishes and salad plates on the table.  After I got the salmon ready to saute in a white wine garlic sauce, I went upstairs to put on my favorite black dress, high heels, and red lipstick.  The kids decided to change their clothes too.  The boys dressed up like waiters, in white shirts and black pants.  The girls put on their Easter dresses.  We turned on some romantic music and lit the candles.  My six year old carefully got the cheesecake out of the box and placed a slice on each dessert plate.  Once slice might have fallen on the floor, but we didn't mention that to anyone.  We took the crab dip out of the oven and placed the toasted pita points around the plate.   The girls stood by the front window waiting for daddy's car to pull up in the driveway.  When it did, they squealed with excitement and peered out of the garage door waiting for him to get out of his car.

When he walked up the garage steps, they asked him to lean over so they could cover his eyes with their hands.  They carefully escorted him up the back stairs so he couldn't see the surprise.  "Patiently," the girls waited outside his bedroom door as he washed up after his long day.  After he finished, they each took him by the hand and escorted him downstairs to the candle lit dining room, soft music playing.  They carefully led him to his seat, and when he sat down, they placed the cloth napkin in his lap.  Shortly afterward, they brought me in with a sly little grin on my face.  He told me how beautiful I was and how marvelous the dining room looked.   He even remarked about the flowers placed in the vase in the middle of the table.

After a few minutes of chatting, one of the handsome waiters walked in the room with a white napkin draped over his arm and handed his daddy a menu.  My husband noticed our favorite appetizer on the menu, and asked if we could try that.  Within a few seconds the appetizer was placed before us and the waiter asked if we would like some water in our cups.  Two giggling girls came in and asked if we needed anything.  I told them, "We are fine, you can go upstairs and eat your lunchables now."  Without a moments hesitation, they were upstairs eating.  The boys took turns bringing in each course of our meal while the girls came giggling downstairs at intervals to ask us if we needed anything.  We asked for napkins or bread and they ran to get what we needed and then ran back upstairs.  When one of our waiters brought in the dessert, I asked him to start the movie for the girls, so we could talk in peace.  After the movie had begun, we moved into the living room with our wine glasses and chatted, reconnecting after a long week.  

This date night, one of the first of many, remains a potent illustration in my mind of all the significant benefits of making a priority of dating in our marriage relationship.  Not only did my husband feel loved and special, but our kids were able to participate in the excitement of a special date between a husband and a wife.  When I have guilt feelings leaving the kids home with a pizza while I enjoy a nice dinner, I have been able to look back on that night and see that I am not only building my marriage, but I am also helping our kids to begin to build their marriages, even before they are married.  My husband deserves the credit for keeping this a priority in our marriage.

Since the beginning of our marriage, my husband has been diligent about pursuing me.  I tend to be more reserved and hidden with my emotions.  [These are just code words for the true fact that I am afraid of showing my emotions because I might get hurt.]  My reserved nature has not stopped my husband, however.  He has taken the time over the years to slowly peal away the layers of pain, fear, and pride, by confronting me, loving me, and pursuing me even when I have been obstinate and have tried to reject his attempts.  He has done this by connecting with me each night after dinner and each week on our date night. 

From the time our kids were babies, we tried to make a point to eat dinner together as a family.  After finishing the meal, my husband made sure we spent at least 15 or 20 minutes each night connecting without interruption from our little ones.  At first, it was hard for our kids to understand what "without interruption" meant, but after several nights of interruptions they finally got the message.  I can distinctly remember my husband telling the kids, "If you don't see blood, then it isn't a good reason to interrupt us."  At first it was hard for me to push aside the guilt of not attending to their needs (which were actually just wants).  But after 17 years of connecting with my husband each night, I am thankful for the closeness that I have with him, and I am thankful for the message that it has sent to our kids.  They know we love each other and they feel secure within our stable marriage and family. 

Tonight, on Valentines Day, my husband has planned a surprise for me.  I am pretty excited, I bought a new outfit, and have picked out some red lipstick to match.  The kids don't have same enthusiasm or excitement as teenagers as they did when our oldest was ten, but the same message is being caught....Love, when nurtured, abounds even in marriage.

One crisp Saturday morning in October, after the sun, pouring in through the windows, had ample time to warm the living room, our drowsy kids made their way down the stairs eager to see dad after he had spent a few days away at the Catalyst leadership conference.  He lured them onto the couch by pulling up on his computer some of the crazy skits and silly videos he experienced during the conference.  After getting their attention, he poured into his children the challenging insights he had gleaned over the past few days...challenging insights that encouraged young leaders to make their lives count for eternity.  One presentation, in particular, captured his heart, and he hoped it would capture their hearts as well.  He told them a story of a nine-year-old girl who asked her friends and family to donate the money they would have spent on her birthday to an organization called Charity Water.  She set a goal to raise $300.00, which would help fifteen villagers have access to clean water.  He stopped his story to show them this video.  Because of this young girl’s untimely death, instead of $300.00, she raised over 1.2 million dollars.  Instead of fifteen people, she helped over 63,000 people. 

This story struck a cord with us because we had begun to notice a trend with our teenage children.  Throughout the year, our kids put many of the gadgets and toys they had gotten for Christmas, up on eBay.  The money they gained from the sales they used to buy the latest and greatest gadgets and toys.  We had taken several opportunities to share with them our concern that they were being taken in by marketing and a desire to have more.  After watching the video, we asked our kids to consider donating some of their Christmas money to Charity Water.  My husband said, “You don’t have to give me an answer now, but think about it. Let’s get together tomorrow afternoon, and you can let me know what you would like to do.” The kids went upstairs to the playroom, closed the door, and spent a long time discussing their options.  After church the next day, while eating Mexican food, we asked the kids if they wanted to share with us what they decided about Christmas this year.  Our oldest said, “We decided that we would like to donate ALL of our Christmas money to Charity Water.”  We did not expect that at all.  We had thought they would say, $25.00 each or something in that range, but not all of it!  Both my husband and I were blown away.  With tears filling our eyes, we told them how proud we were.

A couple of months later, when December hit, I started to second guess the kid’s decision to donate all of their Christmas money.  I felt lost without the task of buying presents on my plate.  I began to wonder what we were going to do on Christmas morning. I googled, “Christmas without presents” or “What to do if you don’t have presents to open on Christmas morning.”  As I clicked on blogs, many of the responses included statements like, “It is wrong to deny your kids presents on Christmas.”  The guilt started to set in.  What had we done? I talked with the kids about their thoughts on this, and they stood firm.  They still wanted to donate the money.  Why was this such a struggle for me, and not for them?  The week before Christmas came, and I found myself very relaxed and able to enjoy baking cookies, going to parties, and spending time watching movies with my kids.  I did not experience the frazzled feeling that usually overcame me during this week.  Christmas morning came, and the kids opened their presents from each other and from relatives.  They had plenty of presents under the tree.  After the last present was opened, my husband had the kids sit around the dining room table, and he pulled up Charity Water’s website. He clicked on the link and donated the money we had set aside for their Christmas presents. One click and it was done. No one cried or seemed disappointed. Our celebration of Christmas was just as sweet as any other Christmas.

So why had I struggled? As I reflected on the conflict in my soul, I realized that I believed I had the job of protecting my kids from disappointment. I thought if my kids were disappointed by the lack of gifts, it would ruin our Christmas celebration. Through this experience I began to realize that God calls me as a parent to help my kids walk through disappointment.  When their friends treat them badly, instead of trying to shelter them from the pain, I should take time to walk them through how to respond.  When they get a bad grade on a test, instead of explaining away their failure, I should help them learn from their mistakes.  When they disobey or sin, instead of excusing it, I should discipline them and point them to their need for a savior.  When I decide not to allow them to go to an event that “all” their friends are attending, instead of giving in to peer pressure, I should walk them through submission.  It is not my job as a parent to shelter my kids from the disappointment, the discipline, and the difficult experiences they have to face.  Rather, I should point them to an awesome God, who has brought every single situation into their lives to point them to Him. Dealing with disappointment was my struggle this Christmas, but it has helped me to be resolved to help my kids walk through their disappointments, rather than attempting to shelter them from them.