Posted by
Roger on Sunday, January 27, 2008 10:52:37 PM
I listen to some talk radio, I read quite a bit, and I talk to people. I'm not a political junky, and I'm relatively low key about catching the daily news, although I usually catch the highpoints while I'm in the car. It's interesting to note the amount of fear, panic, and doom from report to report, conversation to conversation, and talk show to talk show. We hear that Hillary has it all wrapped up, that the US economy is about to implode, that this or that candidate is finished, just before they win a primary, and that conservative talk radio is dead.
I'm not surprised there are lots of anxious people and others who are angry, but I'd rather not tie my personal well-being to such things. Can we function in the chaotic environment of news and politics and stay calm and upbeat. Of course, Rush Limbaugh seems to manage despite his critics and detractors and even when the conservative landscape looks a bit barren. Sean Hannity, on the other hand, seems to operate on the edge of disaster on many of his programs.
I like the word contentment, and I have tried for many years to be content in whatever circumstances I may be, to learn the secret the Apostle Paul speaks about in Philippians 4:11-12. I'm convinced people can
enjoy their lives amid the chaos and confusion of our noisy culture. One lady I knew used to say "Worry works because most of the things people worry about never happen." I may not agree with her method, but she is right about most of the things we fear...They never happen.
My thoughts are a little deeper than that. With the rejection of God and absolutes, people have nothing on which to anchor their hopes, except people like our current crop of candidates. I feel sorry for them. Not even the candidate I like best is worthy of such regard, and many of them are simply not to be trusted at all! Sadly, some who still claim faith in God act like He has little power or compassion for us mere mortals, and they live in uncertainty too.
You won't see me with some senseless smile pasted perpetually on my face, but I don't live my life in a haze of anxiety and doubt. God is real, and He is sovereign, whether we acknowledge Him or not. He gives us, who trust Him, perspective, and, in
that viewpoint, we can all enjoy serenity and hope.