Five Days

The countdown is on. Five days to go. Five days left to grin and bear the onslaught of election rhetoric and ads. Only five more days of polls and pundits calling the election for "so and so" before polls are even closed. Thank God, only five more days of this election cycle.
This election has consumed my thought life. No longer can I park myself in front of an evening of sitcom reruns or goofy reality TV that follows brides down the aisle in dresses that cost as much as my car. Music with lyrics that repeat over and over just bore me. Fluff reading can't hold my attention. My every thought is consumed by the decision that will be made by our country on November 6. I know that giving it my entire attention does nothing to change the outcome from a practical point of view. I am not calling voters, designing ads, knocking on doors, driving voters to the polls, running a registration booth, or busing college students to the nearest polling place (like some political parties are apt to do). But I am reading and becoming more informed. The more I read the more I feel that I must read. The more I listen to about the campaign the more I am drawn to listen longer and harder. And what is the result of taking in all of this new - and sometimes much repeated - information? I am reminded to pray.
I wake up in the morning with one thought on my mind: November 6. And I remember to pray. I turn on the TV to Fox News, hear the lies spewing from the Obama campaign and I am reminded to pray for the truth to win out. I go on the internet and check my email. The daily news updates come pouring in from Life News and the Daily Caller. Both remind me that the issues that face our country are of utmost importance. Life News reminds me that this isn't just one political party against another. This is a fight for life. This is a fight for the most fundamental of moral principles: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Without these bedrock beliefs, our country can never thrive. It is doomed to utter decay and ultimate destruction.
It is a favorite phrase of the a-political to say that, "The election won't affect me" or "All politicians are the same" or, even more common, "All politicians are liars". But I believe those are misguided traps of ignorance that threaten the liberty this country is so famous for. When you stop believing in the function of your government and the ability of it to have true influence, you give power to someone else. Who is that someone else? That someone else must be someone who is looking to gain power. That is the trouble with the direction of our country. So many have abandoned the political process with the lame excuse that it doesn't matter; while others have abandoned principles for emotional rhetoric and uninformed opinions. The gap that they have left behind is being filled with power hungry politicians who aren't seeking office for the betterment of our country, but are looking to further their own agenda and personal egos. Americans have stopped holding politicians to the standard of civil servant. Instead they have become the servant to a political ruling class.
They may call this the land of the free and the home of the brave, but with each election that we fail to take ownership of the principles of this country we give away more of our future as the United States of America. We degrade this great country because we have stopped truly caring about how exceptional it is. Have the American people forgotten how unique an experiment America was and continues to be?
This country was built by people who were so invested in being free and having the right to pursue a better life that they risked everything in order to gain the liberty they couldn't find anywhere else. No other country afforded them the opportunity to pursue their dreams and worship their God.
Now that is all on the line. One person wants to control every aspect of the American life - from craddle to grave. For starters, he wants to control health care. What could be a bigger power grab? Giving control of the physical body over to a governing, ruling class is asking for trouble. It is singing over your right to yourself. Is that what this country was founded for? I think not.
The other person running for office wants each individual to have the freedom to pursue their own life and their own success. He wants people to be able to take risks, make a name for themselves, choose their own future and enjoy the promise of liberty.
So, do you see why I can't get my mind off of November 6? The decision that will be made is one of utmost importance to the future of this great nation. I want the country that our founders fought for and designed with great care. I believe that America is unlike any other place on earth because it values the individual and the unique attributes each person can bring to a community. I believe America is great because it was created to respect the rights of each and every person. I believe America is great because it values each life as special and worthy of opportunity.
If November 6 comes and our country goes down a road foreign to the Constitition and foreign to its founding principles it will be a very upsetting day in our history. Yet, I know that no matter what happens on election day our God in Heaven will protect his own. He will not abandon us - he never has and he has promised he never will. The days ahead may be bleak and feel dark and isolated under the oppression of a government taking control of our lives, still God will be a protector and father for those who seek him and trust him. Will that mean we will be immune to the evil and corrupt ways of the government? No, we will suffer along with those who voted them into office. But God never, ever forgets his own.
We must remember that God allows each elected official to take their place of power. Some times it is because the people need to learn a lesson the hard way. I pray that this country has learned lessons from the past four years. I earnestly pray that they see the corrupt direction this administration has taken our country and wants to continues upon; and I pray that we, as a people, want the original America back. I pray that transforming this country will not be the intent of the voters on November 6, but that their intent will be to uphold the greatness of our founding.