A Day in History

Today is a pretty huge day for this country. I remember when the votes were tallied and came in how the jubilation went out from the African American crowd. It was amazing to see the faces of people who had experienced Rosa Parks, integration, and racial injustices now be able to see hope for a future and that the walls of discrimination of race are starting to crumble.

Although I do not consider myself patriotic or define myself as an American primarily, I am in a sense proud of this country for making race a non issue in this election. To be sure, it was brought up enough and I am sure some people voted based off of race but I think this was a small group of people who allowed race to enter their minds when voting. I loved what Cornel West said about the future African American generation being able to grow up knowing that it is possible to be president.

No matter who you voted for or didn't or even if you voted at all, I think we all can at least pray for Obama and that he will do what is right. I pray for him and his family for humility, which I believe is what this country and specifically this nation needs. It is time for this country to realize that our standard and self proclaimed, "Greatest nation on earth" status is flawed and bankrupt. I am praying that Obama and his advisors figure out that there is no such thing as righteous war and that they will seek peace and diplomacy above all. I pray for this nation that if Obama becomes the greatest president in history that we will understand that he is a man and that Jesus is Lord and the President isn't.

Recently I had a conversation with Paul. We were talking about politics and the economy and all that jazz. Out of that conversation came the birth of an idea that we both shared. What if this economy collapses and gas prices rise and we can no longer afford all the toys, gadgets, or SUVs that we use to? What if all the smoke and mirrors of prosperity shattered into a thousand pieces and we no longer had dreams and hopes for riches? What if the noises of the busy city streets, the sounds of MP3 players, and the hum of electricity all stopped and instead we heard the still small voice of the Creator calling, "My way is perfect and my burden is light."?

So in a way, I am torn. On one hand, I really would like if America's economy would boom but on the other hand I see that we have filled our hearts with the pleasures of riches and have exploited hundreds of thousands of people in the process. So in a way, I pray for the downfall of this type of economy. I pray that things do collapse and in the process we are able to hear the voice of the Creator God. I am not sure that Christ was joking when he said that it is easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than for the rich to inherit the kingdom of God. I use to think that he was talking about the rich upper class in this country but actually that is all of us who have jobs and are making minimum wage in this country. We need to repent.

I hear God's economy is pretty stable. Maybe we should give it a shot. Of course, that means the reversal of all things and that I may be the lowest on the totem pole, but I am pretty sure that the lowest in God's kingdom is better off than the richest in the USA. What would it look like if Jesus was sworn into office today?