[in spite of politics, not by their aid]

Politics. Not something I write about often. Or ever. And not something I really ever care to write about. Or waste time arguing over.

But I found the following writing by Will Rogers and laughed out-loud - my sentiments exactly. Yeah I'll use my freedom and privilege to learn about the candidates in a year and vote, but beyond that, I don't know why we spend so much money and time on the fluff and circle-talking and dirt-digging business we call politics.

My faith still lies in the everyday person. Individuals determined to change their corner of the world are far more impactful than legislators will ever be. And you can argue that all you want, but I'm not looking for a debate. Just wanting to share an opinion that's not wrapped up in some party's stance or whose votes I might gain or lose with it. Just hoping to remind even myself that big shots aren't usually the ones who make the difference. Here's Will Rogers' take:


Will Rogers' Advice to the Candidates
"Go Fishing Until Election"

"There should be a moratorium called on candidate speeches. They have both called each other everything in the world they can think of. From now on they are just talking themselves out of votes. The high office of President of the United States has degenerated into two ordinarily fine men being goaded on by their political leeches into saying things that if they were in their right minds they wouldn't think of saying.

Imagine Mr. Hoover last night "any change of policies will bring disaster to every fireside in America." Of all the conceit. This country is a thousand times bigger than any two men in it, or any two parties in it. These big politicians are so serious about themselves and their parties. This country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it.

That we have carried as much political bunk as we have and still survived shows we are a super nation. If by some divine act of Providence we could get rid of both these parties and hired some good man, like any other big business does, why that would be sitting pretty.

This calamity was brought on by the actions of the people of the whole world and its weight will be lifted off by the actions of the people of the whole world, and not by a Republican or a Democrat.

So you two boys just get the weight of the world off your shoulders and go fishing. Both of you claim to like to fish, now instead of calling each other names till next Tuesday, why you can do everybody a big favor by going fishing, and you will be surprised but the old U.S. will keep right on running while you boys are sitting on the bank. Then come back next Wednesday and we will let you know which one is the lesser of the two evils of you."

[Will Rogers]

[who. not what]

I am learning that how we see God changes everything. That obedience is not necessarily knowing what you're supposed to do but knowing Who it is that has asked something of you.

Take a child for example. I obeyed my parents and grandparents much more willingly then I did any other authority figures. In some ways, I actually judged whether some authority even deserved it - obeying a teacher initially but if they turned out to be a push-over or lacked passion then I didn't really have a desire to obey and please them with my best.

I'm learning obedience to God is the same way. We get bogged down in all the things that we've been commanded to do as Christians, and then we pick and choose which ones we have the strength or desire to do, discard the rest and assume it's ok. Jesus calls us out on this very thing though - "Why do you call me, 'Lord Lord,' and do not do what I say?" [Luke 6:46] Why do you tell me you love me and then blatantly disobey me?

For me, the most obvious struggle right now is loving someone in my life who is just simply hard. I know tolerating them is not loving them. I know feeling obligated to reach out is not loving them. And I know I am called to love them. Yet I feel like my excuses and reasons trump God's commands. And I think that's the root of it.

Who is God to me that His commands seem more like suggestions? How do I see Him - a nice guy or my Savior? What does my relationship with Him look like? I learned this week He isn't interested in bargaining with people. Take a look at Pharoah in Exodus. I also learned this week that He acts with precision in every single thing He does. Check out the Egyptians' trust in their different idols that He shattered with each of the 10 plagues. Most importantly, I learned that above all else, God is about His glory, His worship, Himself. That in the end, this is what everything in life really amounts to.

Because truth is, our programs and churches and missions and outreachs aren't sacred. Our church sayings aren't sacred. Our theology isn't sacred. Our schools and seminaries aren't sacred. Our endless self-help books aren't sacred. Our Christian this and Christian that is. not. sacred. God's name is. God's character is. God's glory and story are. And this is what we, who profess to be Christians, carry with us into every decision we make and everything we do.

It shifts the focus don't you think? To realize we are to love people for God's sake, for His name. To understand we are to obey out of a love for God, not necessarily because we always have the desire to. To follow not the commands of the Lord but the Lord. That our obedience is rooted in our confidence of His character.

"Spiritual maturity is measured by how readily we respond to the person of God rather than the promises of God," wrote Andy Stanley in his book Visioneering. "It involves coming to the place where who is asking is more important than what we are being asked to do." Great book by the way. It has changed my perspective of many many things.

Who, though, not what. Who we are responding to. This is what God's commands are about. Not necessarily the act of obedience itself but the name and character of God that are on the line every time we are faced with a decision to obey Him or not. As our love for God increases our eagerness to please Him does as well, just like any relationship. And soon we begin to obey because we love Him. Not because the things He has called us to do always make sense or are easy.

[this is great freedom]

I was reading in Proverbs 5 today about Solomon's warnings against adultery. And in some ways, it's easy to skim over these kind of passages because even our society condemns adultery. Like - "this is nothing new God. People in-general know this is wrong. They don't have to necessarily follow You."

But what stuck with me from the passage that I'm still unraveling is verses 3-4 - "For the lips of the adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword." Charming. Smooth. Attractive. But in the end bitter. Repulsive. Sour in your heart and soul.

It reminds me of what we were talking about last night at small group. Psalm 39 was our chapter of study, and we focused a lot of time on verse 4-7 that talk about our lives being but a breath of time. We also talked about how our initial reaction to this idea is that it's kind of depressing. Yet the word that kept coming to me was freedom. There is freedom in this that the world doesn't know.

"Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:" verse 6 says. "He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it." That's the NIV version. Now check out how it reads in the Aramaic Bible in Plain English:

"Because a man walks in an image and he fades away like a vapor; he lays down his treasures and does not know for whom he gathered them."

An image. A phantom. A vapor. A breath. That is our existence, and yet you know what? That is also our hope. That we were not only made for this world but eternity. That we don't have to be chained by the things our culture puts all their identity and hope in - whether it be our careers, our salaries, our homes, our outward beauty, our stuff, our physical fitness, our status, our success in this world, our achievements or our positions of authority.

Because in the end it won't matter. We can live out an identity not rooted in those things that change and pass like shifting sand, and I think our culture and world is hungry for that.

I mean, let's face it. Every one of us has been let down by the things we pursue of this world. I'll confess it first. I value my physical fitness a lot. That's half of the reason I run. The other is that I need something physical yet mindless to wear off my worries and thoughts and prayers, but I also care about the way I look. I care about how my clothes fit. I find confidence in these things, and yet it is a danger when I become obsessed with it. It's a danger when I find my value in it. Because truth is, I never made it to that state cross country meet in high school even though I was down to 118 pounds. I never will be the one who can pull of skinny jeans. And yet I know that I have never been measured in God's eyes by the size of my clothes.

This is great hope friends. This is great freedom. We no longer need to waste sleep or time or thoughts over things that are fleeting. We can enjoy them yes. I still plan to keep running. And we can value them yes. God calls me to take care of my body He has given me. It's His temple (1 Cor. 6:19-20). But I cannot, we cannot, find our worth in this kind of thing and only this. That is the danger. Often these things look charming and fulfilling from the outside - just like the adulteress in Proverbs 5 - but there is nothing but pain and bitterness and emptiness to be gained.

Take heart my friends. Hope is found in Christ (Psalm 39:7). Hope to be freed from this world's chains and eternity's punishment. Hope to live without being consumed by how others value me, so that I can rest in how the God who created me values me. This is something to be excited about. I think this is what we, who call ourselves the church, are to be about.