Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2022): Psalm 37
One of my favorite lines that
have come out of the American political wars is the
thought that while the Democratic Party rhetoric seems to mirror the talking
points of the Republican Party, in reality, they are trying to be the adults in the room on the world stage. And, according to the experts, being an adult sucks. I don't disagree. I hate having to do adult things that I
know are right, yet something that is hard, boring, or not fun to do. Over the length of my life, I have
watched politicians from various parties try to do the adult thing. And
they usually have one thing in common, those who try to be the adults in the room
seldom get re-elected. That is because we don't really want them to do the adult thing; we want them to do the easy thing and the selfish
thing. We want our politicians to do childish and irresponsible
things while convincing us that they are the adults in the
room doing what is responsible. Because that is what we want, we are an easy
audience to convince. But in the end, it will only hurt us.
I have admitted that
politically I am a "fiscal conservative." I am not convinced that debt and deficit serve any
of our needs, except maybe the one that presents us with an easier path in our current lives. My problem is that I suspect it will make life harder for my children and grandchildren. I have no desire to lead an easy
life while making things tougher for my grandchildren. And so, debt doesn't sit well with me; it doesn't feel like being the adult in the room. And it doesn't feel like something good for us to do.
The Psalmist declares that we
should trust in God and do what is good. If we do, then we can dwell in the land and enjoy safe pastures. But the first part is incredibly important. We need
to trust in God and then do what is good and responsible, even if what is good
is hard. I believe that is why the Psalmist places trust in God first, rather than saying
do good and trust in God. It may not
sound like much of a difference, but I think it is huge. As long as we trust God, we can do what is good. We can live according
to his principles, which tell us to care for creation and live without debt, rather than inventing tortured ways of proving that what is bad is good
and what is irresponsible is responsible.
Is the Democratic Party
really being the adults in the room? Maybe in some things, but I am not
convinced they are
fully the adults in the room we need. But then again, I am not sure that any of
the world's
political parties
are actually doing their job and being adults. We give them significant portions of our income so
that they will do the hard thing, even if that means not getting elected in the
next cycle. We expect them to do what is good and not convince us that bad is
good. It is a difficult task, but that is the hat they choose to wear. Now is the time to be the adults and make
the hard decisions, which we can only do because we trust in God.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 72
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