Politically Savvy…
Good gracious. Could the political climate get any more charged and volatile than it is today in the US? I’ve lived through lots of elections, some more contentious than others, but where we find ourselves presently is new territory. So many are so far left and so many are so far right it’s a challenge to find the civil ground in-between.
I am not planning to digress into a political tirade in this blog, but do want all of us who are retired to be challenged to give this election a lot of thought. We need to vote for the candidate and the party who represents what our beliefs are about how government should function in the United States. We should be looking at what our Constitution lays out for “liberty and justice for all”, but within the limits of the law. We need to look at voting records to decide if a candidate’s rhetoric matches their action. We need to be savvy.
Without being too political, I will propose to anyone I know, no matter how they plan to vote, that we not play around with identity politics, deciding what party to put into the White House based on who we like better (or who we dislike least). We need to be savvy. Personalities do not make policies – they make speeches. Policies are a different animal and they can bring us a bright future or plunge us into darkness.
Think of presidents from the past – I haven’t been a fan of everyone’s personality, but I’ve certainly been a fan of policies. Whether I enjoy their tone of voice, the way they carry themselves, their family dynamics or their rise to the top of the political heap, I’m fine with a candidate if they espouse policies that will bless our nation. We need to be savvy. I’m not required to watch them give speeches or follow their personal life. I just want to know the nation is in good shape.
Many candidates use “trigger” vocabulary to get you in their camp – words like freedom and opportunity, which are often a cover up for a policy that they don’t want you to investigate to get the full implications of how it would affect the nation, the states, the individuals. It’s always a challenge to dig for the truth and by now, most of us believe it can’t be found in our media news sources. I’m still looking for one I trust – and in the past I read a lot of different ones. I believe most of then are biased one way or the other and untrustworthy.
Which brings us to the desire to have truth in this election season so we can make an intelligent decision. As followers of Christ we value truth – Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) Jesus tells us that the truth sets us free. (John 8:32) And John encourages us to bring joy to the Father by walking in the truth. (3 John 1:4) We are a people of truth – we walk in it, we desire it, we believe God reveals it to us.
So let’s be politically savvy this election season by seeking God’s truth – which candidate and party give us, as Christians and followers of Jesus, the best opportunity for our nation to walk in His light? Let’s “regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16), but put on the lens of truth to see clearly. Dig through the deceptions and misrepresentations, don’t be swayed by false narratives. Be persistent in finding news that gives the news…not “op-eds” on the issues masquerading as news.. Ask God for His wisdom as you make your decisions – he grants it freely as we ask. (James 1:5)
Don't Waste Your Retirement 