A Call for U.S. Christians to Unite in this Election Season

The uproar over politics has had me in a bit of a whirlwind of emotion. My own family, split in our decisions over who we are voting for President. My carnal self fights the belief that a person with any sort of sound, moral, Godly judgment would vote the way I am voting. It has been an internal battle I am ready to say farewell to and not see for a very long time… I mean never.
I do not know much about politics and though I try to do my research on candidates and vote how I believe God is leading me, I cannot claim to fully understand how it all works. For that reason, I rarely weigh in on politics and I’ve never used this platform to do so but this isn’t really about politics anyway. It’s about truth. And we all know truth is not seen so much in politics, unfortunately.

Here’s truth: There are good people, truly seeking God in their decision, who are voting for Trump. There are good people, truly seeking God in their decision, who are voting for Clinton. There are good people, truly seeking God in their decision, who are voting for anyone else other than Trump or Clinton. 

This has been a hard thing for me to come to terms with but as I look at my own circle of friends and family, I know without a shadow of a doubt, this is true. In my immediate family, I believe all the candidates are covered! Just because someone is voting for a particular candidate of whom you do not approve (or may even think is evil), does not mean they are evil, immoral, or not a Christian.

Satan loves the dissension he is creating between family members, church family, and society. We are seeing more ugly words being spewed towards each other and fights on social media than I’ve ever seen before. Personal attacks on character because of political opinion are plastered all over the walls. And Satan loves it.

Ironically enough, in our attempt to stand up for what’s right and stand up for the issues that we believe in, we are tearing each other down. We are hurting relationships and we are hurting our witness. In many instances, we do not appear any different than the world, saying the same things as everyone else, in the same way, and spouting off at our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Can you imagine the effect we would have on our country if we all were as passionate about following Christ as we are politics? What if we had as much belief in God that He is able to transform our world and perform miracles as we do the next President being able to affect our country? What if we pursued God in prayer and shared His message as passionately as we destroy candidates on Facebook? You might believe that you are following Christ by being passionate about politics and trying to influence others to vote for the one who you believe aligns more closely to Biblical standards and I can see that and understand it. But there are so many other avenues through which God can move and work through us! 

Here’s an idea for us to consider: What if God is giving us an opportunity to stand together, despite differing opinions, and rise up to be the Church He created us to be? What if we realized that the Church, through Christ, has way more power to change our country than the President? And what if we acted on that belief? 

This would be something that would make others pause and take notice. This would be a way we could stand up and stand out from what the world sees on a daily basis. This would be a way for us to be “set apart” in a way that brings light and encouragement to others. I’d love to see people on social media start making statements like “My good friend, ______, is voting for (a person I’m not), but I know she’s seeking God in this decision and is a wonderful person. We may disagree but I love her and think the world of our friendship. And both of us know that ultimately, God is in control. #USChristiansUnite”. Of course, there are many private people so we wouldn’t want to share that without consent. But can you imagine the statement we could make?!!

We have 3 and a half weeks until the election. I highly doubt anyone is going to change their mind at this point. What do we have to lose?

B.A.M, Pain, and Jesus

img_5144It’s tough to get out of bed at 4:30am to make it to my 5 o’clock exercise class. On top of that, there are mornings like today when it takes everything I have just to keep going. But I love it. The feeling, the pain, sweat dripping, rapid heart rate, and even the red face. And I love the women I see each morning, all adorned in their natural God-given beauty with determination in their eyes.

B.A.M. Body and More Fitness. There’s a reason for the name as we work on our bodies, minds, and spirits. On Friday’s, they play for us “Jesus Jams.” It’s my favorite day and one of the many reasons I’ve grown to love going.

On my way home this morning, I was thinking about how much it hurt as I was pushing through the tough workout. It seemed to be tougher than a typical Friday. I thought about the music that was played and that I didn’t get an opportunity to really listen to the words like I normally do. I was too caught up in how much I hurt and was just trying to keep going. 

Isn’t that how it is in life sometimes? When we are in a painful season, we focus so much on the pain that sometimes we don’t take the time to focus on Jesus. We may know He’s there, in the background somewhere, but all we can do is feel pain. In 2 Corinthians 2:16-18, Paul writes, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

The pain of an exercise class is temporary, just like the pain of what you may be going through right now. But we have a God we can fix our eyes on and know that it will not last forever! You will notice as you shift your focus from your pain to Jesus and the peace He gives, the pain will be more manageable. And until the day He wipes away your every tear for eternity, you can have confidence that He is renewing your spirit, making you whole, and will walk beside you every step of the way.
There are gains my body will make because of the pain of working out. It breaks down my muscles and when they rebuild, are stronger than before. The same is true of the pain you may feel in your life today. Keep your eyes on Jesus, let Him break down the things in your life that may need rebuilt, and see how much stronger you will become in Him!

Impatient Frustrations

IMG_5077I was in line at a local fast food restaurant. The lines were long but usually this place was fairly quick. My blood sugar had dropped and I needed food to bring it up. And I was hungry. There was a car in front of me taking their sweet precious time it seemed. When they finally moved forward, I took my place in front of the speaker. As I waited, I watched as 3 cars went through lane 1 and I still hadn’t heard a voice come through asking me what I wanted. I was beginning to get impatient so I went ahead and pulled forward, thinking there might be something wrong with that drive-thru lane. I sat and I sat, creeping forward one car at a time.

After about 15 minutes, I was mad. I could feel it rising up in me and now it was full blown. I pulled out of the line and went inside only to find more long lines. Now, not only did I miss my chance outside because of impatience, I would have to wait even longer. The wait inside was about 10 minutes but it felt more like 30. I tried to calm my nerves as I ordered. This guy taking my order didn’t know what was going on and had no control over it anyway. After he had taken my order, I calmly asked for a manager. As I waited for my food, I explained to the manager what had happened. I wasn’t rude or demanding. I just informed him about what had happened in case there really was something wrong. And then I turned to leave before I had a breakdown.

My impatience had caused me even more waiting and as I left the restaurant and tried to calm myself down, I realized that in my frustration, I had only made things worse for myself.

As I sit here now, I think about that incident and how much it is like my impatience with God sometimes. God is doing a work in me. I am seeking Him more and more and wanting to serve Him. I have been through so much in my life and I want to share my story with others so that God can be seen, His grace evident, and He can work through bad situations.

But in some situations, He calls me to wait. He calls me to stop thinking with my head and lean into Him. He wants to refine a few things in me or line a few things out somewhere else before I move in certain areas. He wants me to be PATIENT. In His time and in His way, He will show me how and when to move, what steps to take, what part of my story to tell, and where to go.

And I will wait to see what He is going to do!

A Broken Friendship and New Beginnings


From the moment I met her, I knew we would be good friends (let’s call her Megan). She was fun to be around, had similar values and beliefs, and we simply meshed. After we started getting to know each other, I also realized I could trust her. We spent the next several years growing closer and finding more and more time to spend together. I loved her deeply. She was a friend that I needed at this time in my life and I thank God He brought her my way.

At the end of my marriage and then when I separated and eventually divorced, it was a very low time in my life. I was emotionally a wreck and if you were close to me at all during that time, you knew it. My heart was far from God and my actions were indicators of the pain I suffered. I was trying to crawl back to my Creator but my toxic behavior kept getting in the way.  

Megan was there and knew all of my story. She saw my raw emotions and the contents of my heart. Let me tell you, it was an ugly sight. Sometime after the separation, she started distancing herself from me. I would try to call and text but she wouldn’t respond at all or would respond with short answers. I tried to hang out with her, but she would say she was busy. I asked her if anything was wrong several times but never received a straight answer. Then one day I received a letter from her in the mail. In short, she said she couldn’t stand by and watch me self-destruct and she could no longer be my friend. 

What followed were days of crying and years of grief over my lost friendship. I bared my soul to her and it was too ugly for her to continue being friends with me. I was devastated and my entire identity was shaken.

It took me years to come to terms with this loss. If there was one thing that made me feel worthless and alone, other than my divorce, it was this. I hated myself for it. And I was angry at her. She left me when I needed her most. 

As I reflect on it today, though it stills aches a little, I’ve forgiven her and have shifted my thought process to give her the benefit of the doubt. By the time it happened, I honestly had so little communication with her, that I did not know what was going on in her life. She very well could have been in a place in her life where she needed to separate herself from toxic people. Her relationship with God was very important to her and I believe she was honestly doing what she felt God had called her to do. Whether she was right or wrong is irrelevant. Releasing and forgiving her had more to do with me and my healing than anything else. 

Since then, God has worked in and through my life in so many ways. I allowed Him to perform heart surgery on me and am a completely transformed woman. 

Fast forward several years: Similar scenario. I recently met a woman with whom I immediately connected. Let’s call her Carrie. We met at a time in which God was similarly working in our lives to heal past hurts and pain and immediately found a heart and soul connection with each other. We have grown close very quickly.

Last week, she went on a women’s retreat. The day before she came back, I had a thought that I immediately snuffed out. “What if she comes back, realizing that she doesn’t need to be friends with me anymore.” I didn’t let it linger but it was there, rearing its ugly head. When she called me Monday and wanted to see me for a few minutes, it didn’t even cross my mind. But when she told me that she was so thankful for me, that she wanted me to know how very special our friendship was to her, and that she loved me more than I would ever know, I lost it. Completely lost it. As I sobbed uncontrollably and as she probably wondered what in the world was going on with me, I simply hugged her, told her thanks, and that I felt the same about her. You see, sometime during our conversation, I remembered that terrible thought I had. And I felt like my Daddy was reaching down and giving me a big ol’ hug through my precious friend. He was telling me that those days are over, that I am a new and beautiful creation, and that He’s proud of me for the progress I’ve made. He used Carrie to love on me and I will forever be grateful. 

I treasure the friendships I’ve had in my life. Some have stayed with me through thick and thin. Others have drifted away. But I’m a firm believer in the fact that God puts just the right people in my life at just the right time. 

So to Megan, I miss you. God put you in my life for a reason. You helped me through so much and nothing that happened could take away my gratitude for you. I am a different person now than I was then and God has completely transformed my life. I’m certain you would be happy for me. I wish you the very best and will love you always.

And to Carrie, you are such a wonderful blessing to me. I will forever be grateful for the time I have right now with you. I love you and always will. Let’s do this! “Iron sharpens iron…” Proverbs 27:17

A Missing Characteristic in How People Respond to Tragedy

Attachment-1If you’ve paid any attention at all to the news recently, you’ve seen the headlines  “Alligator Drags off Boy at Disney Florida Resort” and “Mass Shooting at an Orlando Night Club.” As I watch and listen to the sad stories of loss, what comes after makes my heart hurt even more as ugly comments take over our social media newsfeeds. How often I hear and read the phrase, “He/she deserves it” when it comes to a tragedy. I cringe in my spirit when these words are spewed. There are people who simply cannot offer graciousness and kindness unless they approve of the conditions before the tragedy. They become the judge and the tragedy becomes justified in their mind.

What’s missing here? What is lacking that allows people to be so far removed from the heartache of the situation that they state heartless comments?

My opinion is that there is one characteristic, besides love itself, that is missing from an increasingly large number of people.

Empathy.

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Can you place yourself in the shoes of the Mom and Dad who lost their child to the alligator? Or is the first question you ask “why did it happen?” so that you can make the decision to not care based on your opinion of whether or not the parents were being negligent.

Can you place yourself in the shoes of the family and friends of the people who were killed in the nightclub as they are hurting and struggling to deal with losing their friend or family member? Or is the first thing you do to dismiss it or even spew hatred when hearing it was a Gay club?

These are just two incidents out of many and happen to be on a large scale. There are also many times I hear this attitude in my community. Something happens in which a person is hurting, deeply hurting, and we want to find out the scope of the story so we can become the judge about whether or not we should and will feel compassion toward that person. A man dies or was paralyzed in a car wreck after taking the wheel while intoxicated and we decide he deserved it without any thought of what his family may be going through. A girl is raped after being promiscuous throughout her life and we decide she deserved it without any thought or concern to what this girl may be going through. A family goes bankrupt after mismanaging money and we decide they deserve it despite the fact that they are in pain and could really use our emotional support.

Well guess what? So do all of us. We deserve death (Romans 6:23). And you are no better than anyone else. Thank God He shows us grace when we don’t deserve it. Thank God He treats us better than we treat each other. None of us deserve good. We are a fallen people who without Jesus’ sacrifice would never measure up to receive the reward that will soon be ours. We are human and all fail and make mistakes.

Yes, there are consequences to people’s actions. Many times when people sin and make poor choices, there are consequences that hurt. I’m not disputing that. I am however wanting to make a point that it’s not our job to inflict further pain on these people by spewing our insensitive comments. It’s our job, our commandment, to love each other as Christ loves us. And He shows us grace.

Let’s stop judging a situation to determine if the hurting is justified, and just love on people that are hurting. Let’s learn how to be more empathetic, be conscious of it, and pray for it when needed. Let’s teach our children to think about what another person might be feeling and help them understand the feelings rather than only searching for the “why.”

Let’s make a decision to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

I’d love to see what would happen if we kicked the attitude of superiority to the curb and started supporting each other through the hard times. There are times that I do deserve the hurt I feel because of my actions. But it’s not up to others to make those judgments and condemn me for it. That’s an issue between me and God. The hurt itself is enough without the condemning spirit of others looking down on you and hurting you further.
Empathy is the missing component and we as a family, community, state, nation and world need to start teaching our children this important characteristic. Without it, we will only get more calloused to the hurts of others and further away from the heart of God.