By Gina Caswell Kelly
As I write this, it is the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. I will never forget that day. This is true for all of us who were old enough to understand on that day. You can almost remember minute by minute, what you were doing, where you were, who you talked to. It was such a terrifying day for all of us. The unthinkable was happening. As I drove into town today, I saw flags flying everywhere. This brought tears to my eyes. In spite of all the division we see in our country today, we can unite under the Stars and Stripes to stand for our country.
In this election year, there is so much that is troubling to all of us. There are so many unknowns and so much we just don’t understand. With our media the way it is now, we don’t even know what is truth and what is not! With the technology we have today, so much can be fabricated on both sides. And it does seem that there are two definite sides in our country right now. And neither side can boast of the truth 100% of the time! I am sorry if you don’t agree, but I don’t think either side is actually too very trustworthy right now. Yet, we have to choose.
I am going to present to you a third option. What if we were united under the banner of serving the Lord? What if serving God was the most important thing in each of our lives? What if we went to bed each night, and woke up each morning with a prayer for our nation? How much difference would that make? I hear people often saying, “It doesn’t matter who wins the election, God is still on the throne.” And I believe that with all my heart. What we have running for the highest office in the land are two very flawed individuals. Very flawed. As much as I love one candidate over the other, there are still many flaws to be found.
In the Bible, we see God using very messed up people to do His work over and over. We see David, one whom God called a “man after His own heart.” David was an adulterer and a murderer. Yet, God offered him grace, and made him king and used him in mighty ways. We see Abraham, who believed God would give him a son in his old age, but felt like God needed help. So he took matters into his own hands. But God still forgave and blessed this one. We see Rahab who was a prostitute, used by God and her name is even mentioned in the lineage of our Savior.
My point in all this is that, God will still be in control, no matter who wins in November. Now, don’t misunderstand me. We still need to educate ourselves, pray and vote for the candidate that we feel holds our great nation’s future front and center of their heart. We still need to study each candidate, and we still need to search for the truth.
But we have to get back to the country we were on September 12, 2001. A people who loved our country and a people who loved our Lord. That is the only way to make a difference in our nation today.
