When I Woke Up
I praised the Lord. I praised Him for a multitude of things…
another day to live and love
the sunshine, warm weather
the food on my plate
my family, my tribe, the people that I hold near and dear to my heart
for the new roof installation happening Monday
Most of all I praised Him and thanked Him for being the constant in my life. The world is filled with chaos day in and day out but the Lord and His Word are constant and NEVER changing. I can count on scripture I read today the same way I counted on it 40 years ago. The Lord doesn’t change His mind due to cultural shifts, political sides or the mood on social media platforms.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the news. Heck, it gets pumped into our homes 24-7. It’s on our TV, phone, tablets, computers and it’s hard to avoid. In previous posts on my blog, I wrote that I avoid all cable news shows and have since early 2021. I get my local news from an online newspaper and national news I get from several sources including the Associated Press and Reuters. I enjoy watching BBC News as well since it gives a different perspective about news here in the States. I read both sides, both views since becoming an Independent in 2021 and I trust that the Lord will guide me for the midterm vote in November.
As much as I respect Joe Biden for his years of public service, I can’t in good faith cast a vote for him if he chooses to run again in 2024. I was completely blown away that American Democrats with the insanely large field of candidates for the 2020 election, once again chose a senior, white, male to nominate for President. The Democrats talk about change and cry foul when older, white men are nominated from the Republican side and yet they do the same. Nothing against Joe, but come on America, don’t complain about something and then turn around and do it yourselves. Now I owe it to myself to do my due diligence and research not only the possible Republican candidates but also the Democrats who might run if Biden doesn’t seek re-election.
Again, I admire the man and I was raised to respect the office of the President, even if I didn’t vote for them. For instance, I didn’t vote for former President Trump, but for four years he was my President. There were times I didn’t agree with his policies. I never agreed with his use of Twitter. But I stand by my thought that if he’d handled COVID differently, if he showed a bit of empathy and concern during the rise of the pandemic, he would have won re-election. I lost the bit of respect I had for the man when he screwed with the transition of power. He acted like a petulant child. But that’s my opinion, to which I’m entitled just like those that were so upset when he lost the election. They supported him and many still support him. That’s their right.
Look, people on both sides say and do vile things. Humans can be wretched, wretched creatures. But something horrendous occurred in this country over the past 15 years. Something that tells us we’re divided and that having opposing views means we’re enemies. I blame all media, because they do what they need to do in order to garner ratings. I blame politicians because they allow themselves to be consumed by power and greed, all while waving a Bible around.
When Trump was elected, my husband said, “I can’t understand why anyone would vote for that man!”
I understand exactly why they voted for him. People are tired of politicians. Small business owners, farmers and those of us that remember a time when this country manufactured so much more than we do today were and still are sick and tired of politicians, sick of rich corporations raking in billions of dollars, paying CEOS ridiculous bonuses all while our seniors can’t pay for prescriptions, our veterans suffer from the aftermath of war and our children are shot dead while attending school.
On shootings, neither side comes up with bills that actually do a darn thing about mass shootings in this country. The left creates bills that have loopholes that hurt the law-abiding gun owners in this country. The right constantly spews that the left is “coming to take your guns away.”
Folks, our country has had guns since English colonists arrived here in 1607. They haven’t taken our guns in over 400 years. No one is taking our guns, ever. There has to be middle ground here and until we stop listening to rhetoric from both sides, we’ll remain a country where our children are gunned down, or parade spectators are gunned down, or folks are gunned down while shopping for a loaf of bread.
For the record, I currently don’t own a firearm, but we are talking about getting them for personal protection and defense of our property. The town where I live is quiet and we don’t see the levels of crazy that we see on the news, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe from it. On any given day, it can happen here. And this family has the right to protect themselves if we need to before police arrive. Two-to-three-minute response time is a lifetime when your life is endangered.
I know I packed a lot of thoughts into this one but that’s where I am today. With all of that written I still thank the Lord for being the calm, steady presence in my life. With all the craziness going on, He remains true to His Word.
When I woke up I praised Him.
When I go to sleep tonight, I’ll continue to praise Him.
Peace,
Nim
