Staying Hopeful in an Election Year

When you get disconnected from television and wi-fi, count your blessings! Remember the saying, No News is Good News? I spent a few days with my niece, nephew, and two grand-nephews and was blissfully disconnected from the political news of the day. I came back today and turned on my regular political talk-show, and was struck by just how depressing politics can be.

Last fall, my Bible study group read a book Nine Words by Allen Hunt. The book goes through the nine fruits of the Spirit and applies each to our lives. The chapter on Peace spoke of one kind of peace -- the comforting knowledge that God always wins in the end. Seriously, if we didn't have that confidence, how would we manage to approach this election?

I was amazed to see that the panelists on the morning show seemed genuinely disturbed by the news of the day. They seemed to be listening to each other, rather than talking over each other, and trying to figure out how this election can have a productive ending.

I have to admit that I am baffled as to how we got here. This political season reminds me of an episode of the comedy classic The Bob Newhart Show. The guys are playing poker, and Howard is losing handily. When it's his turn to deal, he announces they are playing Pai Tai -Chinese poker. The rules are outlandish and change constantly. Not surprisingly, Howard finally wins a hand! It's classic Newhart humor. The good news was that when we turned off our TV, we went back to reality. In this election, it seems like we are caught in the reruns!

Truth can be stranger than fiction. While we have the confidence that good will triumph in the end, let's make sure that we each do what we can to be a part of the solution, not the problem. Keep the faith!

Blessings,
Barb