We've been on the road for about two months now. For the most part, it's been great. Fun, relaxing and interesting. Even thrilling at times. Like when we had to flee Disney World in the middle of the night because of the hurricane that was headed in our direction - that was some excitement we could have lived without!
I've kept telling myself I would update the blog "tomorrow", but every time I sat down to do it, it was like a dark cloud was hanging over me, so I just stopped thinking about it. The dark cloud, of course, was the presidential election. Honestly the trip hasn't been nearly as memorable as the election. Unfortunately, the election is memorable for all the wrong reasons.
I thought when it was over, I could concentrate on writing about the fun stuff. But it seems that the chaos from the campaigns will never end. So, maybe, if I put a few of my thoughts and fears in writing, I can let it go. Or maybe that will just make the scary stuff more real. Who knows.
For decades I've thought the USA might be headed towards civil war. I thought it would be between the "haves" and the "have-nots". Now I don't see anything as simple as a two sided civil war in our future. It looks more like a melee, a free-for-all, a bar fight. Black vs. white vs. Hispanic vs. Asian vs. whatever, male vs. female, young vs. older, rich vs. poor vs. middle class, Christian vs. Muslim vs. atheist/agnostic, Democrat vs. Republican vs. Independent, management vs. labor, gay vs. straight, state's rights vs. centralized government.
According to the above labels, I am a older white female Christian, lower middle class, conservative on most issues, liberal when it comes to caring for those who can't take care of themselves.
I have nothing against anyone who is anything else. Even if they have a different point of view, I wish them no harm, I would even do anything in my power to help them out. I do have friends and family from all walks of life, and I love them all, even though we don't always agree. But at some point, I am afraid that I will be pushed into a position where I am on one side or another. Not that I would choose to be at war against anyone, but that we will all be at war whether we want it or not.
And then there's the actual criminal element...drug dealers, sex traffickers, organized crime. And the future can look truly scary.
And that's why I am so thankful that I am a Christian. Because I know Who holds the future. Praise Him!
We Christians will vote our values. We will campaign for our values. We will discuss our values with others. For instance, I would try to talk a friend out of having an abortion. To be clear, I would not help her get an abortion. But I would nurse her back to health after her abortion, and help in any other way I could. Without preaching. And I'm not the only one.
Because I am a follower of Christ, I think it is important to reach out to people who think differently than me. We are commanded to love our enemies, not just the people who think like us. That's why I am so horrified to see all the hateful things being said by the media. And not just the media, but by my own friends in their blogs and on Facebook.
Why do the liberals keep being so negative? If they keep rioting because the government is not to their liking, the government will eventually be forced to come down on them. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy. "The government is against us, so we're going to riot" - then the government steps in to stop them, and they say, "See, the government is against us."
Why are so many conservatives gloating because their candidate won? No one knows what kind of president he will be. He has four years to prove himself. Wait a while before you get too excited. Gloating just reinforces the notion that you are heartless and a hater. The fear mongering media is partially too blame, but you have to admit that some of things that your candidate has said sounded pretty bad. And it's a shame that so many hate groups have supported him, like the KKK. Yes, he has denounced them, but that still doesn't look too good.
As Christians, we need to spread peace as much as we possibly can. Hate has no place in our faith, other than to hate the evil one, Satan, who is the root cause of all this strife. He has deceived so many to believe his lies. But, Christian, he is deceiving you, too, if you are believing the lie that you must hate your fellow man, whom God created, just as He created you.
Okay, have I made everyone mad now? That certainly is not my intention.
Rant over. Back to my regularly scheduled travel blog.
We are staying in Georgetown this week. Today is the first day of the Southern Baptist Covention of Texas Bible Conference and Annual Meeting. It's being held in Austin this year, and we are going to commute the 30 miles to attend. It starts at 6:00 tonight and I can't wait! I am ready to hear a good word from the Lord!!
The conference lasts 3 days, then Cowboy wants to spend a couple of days fishing, then we should be home in time for church next Sunday.
I really will try to post more pictures of our trip before the week is over.
Pray for our country.
Pray for our elected officials.
Pray for each other.
Praise God.
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