Nobody is Beyond God

I’m not a particularly political person, but I’m a responsible citizen and do my civic duty, voting and more recently, working at the polls.  Concerned about the state of the world and the vitriolic and divisive rhetoric, I want to seize recent events to highlight matters that have been heavy on my heart. These align with my marinating series on narcissism and a piece I published earlier calling for unity, which I believe is only possible in Christ’s equalizing light and seeking common welfare versus individual interests.

I begin and end with nobody can claim the moral high ground.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Wherever you stand on all this, I hope we can still be friends. I respect your right to believe differently.

I confess I mildly resent feeling compelled to issue disclaimers about my political orientation, but resentment is a big no-no in my world, so here it is…

DISCLAIMER

1. I am and have always been a registered Independent and my political party is Otherworldly. Ain’t no mere man can fix this mess we’re in and God has a way of shattering mortal idols of all kinds. I will vote my conscience as I always do.
   

2. “Conservative” Christian friends: I am not (yet) a Trump supporter and I most certainly don’t agree that he has been the most godly representation of Christian ideals—“life” aside. Beyond that, the Old and New Testament and Jesus’ own focus was on peaceful resistance, the poor, oppressed, marginalized, broken, foreigner, voiceless and defenseless…though that most certainly includes unborn children. Read The Sermon on the Mount or my blog on “Oppression” for a long list of relevant verses and perspective on God’s kingdom, which doesn’t look anything like this worldly wackiness. Let alone God’s perspective on greed, corruption, narcissistic demagoguery, and idolatry. He doesn’t like any of it. Still, the fact this man of dubious character downright miraculously narrowly dodged a fatal bullet does give me pause, despite the tragic loss of life. Whatever my personal, historic objections to any candidate, I want to allow room for God’s transformative power, if not instant. God works in and through dubious characters all day long. Moreover, he has been known to humble people extreme measures. One can hope.

1. “Liberal” friends: Just cuz I’m a passionate Christian, does not mean I’m an ignorant, xenophobic, nationalist, puritanical, warmongering, sexist bigot. Yet it also doesn’t mean that I endorse some radical dilution of what The Book says plainly, nor do I believe that grace, or our limited human definition of love, is a panacea pandering carte blanche to do whatever we want. Let’s not mention the lack of love rampant in all quarters since Christ’s standard lavishes love on people we hate, which silences a lot of us. BTW, there’s plenty of greed, corruption, narcissistic demagoguery, and idolatry on the left, too.

Abortion…Yes, I’m going there.

I’m not thrilled about going out on this limb, but because it’s undeniably a critical election issue, I must address the matter of “choice” and women’s rights, which I know is so heart-wrenching and decisive for many. With love, compassion, and respect, I say we can’t justify denying the rights of defenseless, voiceless unborn men or women in favor of our own. I would never suggest criminalizing abortion or condemning someone who had one. Hugs only. But somebody must advocate for the defenseless.

First, it’s positively criminal that a country as wealthy and educated as the US doesn’t provide affordable healthcare, childcare, vocational training, psychological support, or viable family-friendly income for its citizens. It puts people under extraordinary stress and is culpable--TO BLAME--for many things we then rush to condemn.

Having said that, we women have vastly more legit reproductive choices than ever before. We have ready access to every conceivable form of birth control, free and low cost. We can keep our pants on and wait until we’re ready for kids. We can give our unwanted babies away to loving parents of our choosing and nowadays, however troubling, we can even profit from childbearing. As a relevant aside, I’m not sure all our sexual “freedom” has delivered what most of us are after, gals and guys. A topic for another time.

In response to outraged concerns about victims of rape, incest, or threat to life or limb, the concession is reasonable, but these cases represent less than 5% of abortions; most are entirely elective. The abortion rate is much higher among the poor and women of color. That’s wrong.  This is Guttmacher Institute and CDC data.

Isabella, what do you know about it? Quite a bit actually. I learned Isaac would had a genetic anomaly at my 12-week sonogram and elected to have him anyway. It turns out he has Down syndrome. He has proven to be a gift that truly keeps on giving.

In my early thirties, B.C., I was dating a guy you don’t bring home to mama. While I was using birth control, I'd gotten sloppy and had a pregnancy scare. Terrified by the prospect of having a baby with him, I begged God to intervene. When it turned out I wasn’t pregnant, I broke up with a guy, and stopped having premarital sex. Radical, I know. My choice.

For those of you who haven’t stopped reading yet…

Apart from all that, what prompted me to venture into this dicey topic is the most awful social post that seemed to suggest that God would not rescue “a philandering, whoremongering, adulterous, lying, cheating, religious pretender” while allowing that intended target’s projectile to kill an innocent hero. Wow.

Let’s all be grateful that God does rescue wretches, of the grand and garden variety both.

GOOD NEWS FLASH

• We’re all sinners in dire need of rescue. Every one of us. We humans like to plot ourselves on a holiness continuum, but apart from Christ and sincere repentance, we’re all bound for the cosmic rotisserie. Let s/he who is without sin start hurling rocks.

• No matter what they’ve done or do, not even one of us—you, me, the worst villains, murderous monsters, and assorted political figures—is beyond God’s transformative power, grace, and mercy. That’s Good News for all of us, always. Plus, only God can judge the human heart.

• Likewise, no earthly circumstance is beyond God’s scope of work if we but call on God in humility, which, sadly, is so evidently in short supply.

Recall,

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26.

The context of this verse is especially compelling for the matter at hand.

If you believe in God at all, believe that God is still large and in charge, and has notoriously raised up, leveled, and transformed leaders and nations throughout history to redirect us to HIM.

Finally, I must point out that global leaders and other extraordinary people often have some predictable defects and vulnerabilities to which all humans, even the very best of them, can fall prey. Whatever virtues lead to leadership or achievement usually have a definite flip side.

Christians: King David. Enough said?  Everybody else: Everybody else.

The unlikely rescue gives me pause, despite the tragic loss of life. Whatever my personal, historic objections to any candidate, I want to allow room for God’s transformative power.

At the moment, with all that’s so clearly at stake, we need to unify in faith, pray for wisdom, and prayerfully support whoever gets the job, for all our world leaders and for our world.

As a side note, if you’re in dire need of transformation and believe you’re beyond help, you’re not! Repent, cry out to Jesus. He can restore anyone or anything and work it for good.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, thank You for loving us and always drawing us closer to You. Thank You that none of us is beyond your saving, transformative grace, and mercy in Christ. Help us all have a sober, humble, unifying understanding of our collective need. Father, we need Your intervention, revelation, direction, and transformation by Your power and love. Thank You that we can ask everything in Christ’s name. Amen. I love You.

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