Why even bother to vote? Because...

I seriously considered leaving some of the elections positions blank on my ballot - thinking that I didn't want to be held accountable for choosing either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton as our next president.

But beyond being a cop-out, I remembered that an Election Volunteer in Florida was caught filling in her own choice when opening early ballots with no vote. I realized I HAD to choose.

There is not a way to avoid responsibility for voting, because NOT CHOOSING was literally allowing some random person to choose for me instead - whether it is an unethical elections volunteer or someone else who voted when I did not.

I remembered living in Mexico and having as a hostess someone who counted ballots during their elections. Mexico requires citizens to vote, at least they did then in order to get certain privileges. But they also allowed for write in candidates - or people did it anyway. "For decades," she explained "Su mama came in first place, Mickey Mouse came in second place, then the incumbent party's candidate came in third. but the first two were never announced." I suddenly understand!

I am not suggesting you vote for a Disney character or someone's mother, but I am suggesting there are other choices...though a third party candidate or a write-in likely is a throw away vote.


So I will choose based not on the person on the presidential line of the ballot, or even for the political party, but for who I would like to be nominating the next three Supreme Court Judges, and therefore likely affecting our country's future not for four years, but for decades.

"All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD." Proverbs 16:2

Why do I place this verse on this blog post? Because making good choices are NOT always easy. And not choosing IS choosing. So in every difficult situation, pray, seek what is right, and be accountable to no one but God. That, indeed, may even be harder than knowing who to vote for in this election, but we are held to a higher standard and a higher power than the President of the United States...One who is not limited in how He is able to acts...not even by the winner of an election. 



Be Blessed My Purposeful People, Heather J. Kirk
Wearable Art - Heather J Kirk's VIDA Collection: http://shopvida.com/collections/heather-j-kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk http://heather-kirk.pixels.com and http://AEC.pixels.com Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

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If our nation has chosen what we admire then the only answer is to humble ourselves

If it's true that a nation can suffer the consequences for the things that we as a whole have done, we are getting what we deserve. Too many people I know feel they have not even "the lesser of two evils" as a choice for President, but no choice. And to be honest in other political positions as well. But WE DID CHOOSE, and we chose these. (Some may say they voted for someone else in the primary... then divided we fall.)

Let me say also that it is not just in the Presidential race that we have a lack of great choices, but it seems to be exaggerated there. We need to ask ourselves overall what have our votes (or the choice to not vote) brought us?

How true is this? "When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked person rules, people groan"Proverbs 29:2

In our Presidential candidates we chose pridefulness. We chose those who have had both great success and great failure (though the truth is a willingness to take chances and fail often comes along with anyone who has achieved much - still a President is not the place to be taking too many chances.) We chose people with lack of facial control - and negotiations and leading a nation requires that every thought that passes through one's mind does not show up in a laugh or a smirk. We have people who shirk responsibility. We have people whose staff or supporters keep getting in trouble, being fired, or leaving of their own accord.And when I just did a spellcheck on the word pridefullness because of a red line under it, the option it gave me was 'spitefulness,' and yes, we chose that too.


And if you disagree that you chose these qualities or people, then...if we have not gotten what we have chosen, then we have gotten what we have allowed.

IF you are still saying that YOU did not choose this, others did, then oddly you are part of the problem. The solution takes accepting the situation as it is and problem solving, deciding what to do about it, what to do differently now and next time. And we can only change what we feel we have some power over!


It is not just at the voter's booth ALONE that we are responsible. We must take the blame for our own actions, and yes, also for our nation's action as a very large group of individuals.  It is made up of a lot of "ME's". What have my (our) actions created in our families, in our communities? What have my (our) actions allowed to go on around us? Are we guilty of pride, deceitfulness, greed, putting our own needs above others needs, disrespecting others with our word and the looks we give, the way we roll our eyes. We often are very lenient on others guilty of the same sins as our own. And then we get what we get...in our own lives, and in our nation.

And if all else fails, we need to pray! As I write that I think that perhaps therein lies the problem - at least mine - we wait to pray until all else fails, and we have created a complete mess. 

So is there any hope? 


Only by humbling ourselves. Only by turning form the things we already know in our hearts are wrong, With humility and asking forgiveness we can obtain from God a goodness and mercy that we do not deserve but receive anyway out of love.


So late in the game, all we can count on is a MIRACLE - and I say that in full sincerity.  Maybe the miracle will be that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton win the Presidency, but that, of course, is not likely. Yet the concept of miracles does not imply 'likelihood', it implies 'impossible without supernatural intervention'. But still, the miracle we may have to count on is to be surprised that God is able to work in our nation for our individual and national good through, or in spite of, whoever WE (yes we) vote in as 45th President of the United States.


"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14 

Who are "my people"? The verse implies God's people. but we are 'one nation under God" who have received favor for a long time. A perfect country? of course not, we are made up of people...but a humble nation chooses, and deserves, better than a prideful people!

Be Blessed My Purposeful People, Heather J. Kirk
 
Wearable Art - Heather J Kirk's VIDA Collection: http://shopvida.com/collections/heather-j-kirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk http://heather-kirk.pixels.com and http://AEC.pixels.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

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Gathering - "God's Little Blessings Series"

It's been too long since my last post in a series called "God's Little Blessings - because they all add up and they all matter..." I share here a conversation to demonstrate that not only are there blessings, but we can trust that things are happening "behind the scenes". Sometimes we are blessed to know about them, other times we may never know.

 

I like how this friend describes prayer - "accepted" and "gathering". No, we don't always get the 'vending machine answers' we want or expect, but they are heard:

 

Friend: First I would like to tell you thank you for praying the other day. I swear to god from that day on I didn't get not even one pain. I think God accepted our prayer. Thank you.

 

Me: Thank you so much for sharing with me that the prayer made a difference. I know deep in my heart that it does, but every once in awhile I feel like He doesn't hear, then someone like you reminds me that He does. Praise God! And many blessings to you my friend.

 

Friend: Oh, God hears all the time and God loves gathering prayers.

 

"Rise Festival Lanterns 2014 Horizontal Ground And Sky #1"
copyright Heather J. Kirk and PhotoGraphic Artistry and Publishing
part of an Asian tradition but for me it represented sending
prayers, dreams and wishes into the Heavens.

 

Heather J. Kirk Art by Heather J. Kirk www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html

Do "all things" really work together for good? Even the tragedies we cannot see our way though?

Just tonight I prayed with a friend going through an extended difficult trial, the familiar verse: Romans 8:28 "
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I try to be careful with this overused quotation, unless I have already explained to someone my own interpretation...that God does not cause bad things to happen just so He can turn around and make them come out 'good". We live in a world that falls (very far) short of perfection and bad things happen. But in spite of those things, God has the ability bring some elusive, and sometimes even amazing, good thing out of it.

Then I listened to a book tonight that addressed exactly this issue, and I'd like to share it with you, as the author seems to know the original Greek words used in the text.  And, I happen to like the visual image of a pattern of light falling over, and changing, a foundation of darkness. Heather J. Kirk

From Absolute Truths: Church of England Series, Book 6 by Susan Howatch, Conversation between Asgoth and Charles, mediated by John. Begun with Charles:

“The correct translation of that passage is actually, ‘All things intermingle for them that love God.’ I know you think I’m a lousy theologian, Charles, but at least my New Testament Greek is sound.”

I flexed my memory to recall the verb under discussion. “Uh, but what’s the point of the alternative translation?”

“It gives you a better impression of synergy – of the process where two different things are put together and make something quite new. If you just say, ‘All things work together for good,’ as if the good and the bad are all stirred together like the ingredients of a cake which later emerges from the oven smelling wonderful. Then the man who’s dying of cancer will want to punch you on the jaw because he knows damn well you’re understanding his pain and are playing fast and loose with the reality of his suffering by implying that his disease is the end of a good thing. But if you say ‘all things intermingle for good,’ you’re implying that the good and the bad remain quite distinct. There’s no question of well mixed cake ingredients which emerge from the oven smelling wonderful. The bad really is terrible and the good may seem powerless against that terrible reality. But, when the good and the bad intermingle, not merge, but intermingle, they form a pattern,” said John. “As I pointed out a moment ago, the darkness doesn’t become less dark, but that pattern which the light makes upon it contains the meaning which makes the darkness endurable. Do you remember telling me Charles that when you were a POW you found that human beings could endure almost anything so long as they believed their suffering had meaning. What they couldn’t endure was the possibility that there was no meaning which would allow the suffering to be redeemed.” …

“I’m going to pull myself up by my bootstraps, and…”…

“You meant that your new knowledge has given you new power. The pattern of redemption is now clearer to you, and your recent suffering will be given meaning by the new life which begins for you today.” (John)

Amazing Friends Ask "How Can We Help?" An example to follow...

A close family member recently became very ill and my mother asked me to contact some friends. When I stopped by and shared the news, first they listened, then asked "How can we help?"

I didn't know how to answer that question in the moment, but the offer created peace. If we needed something, I knew where to comfortably go for assistance.

But the offer didn't stop there, they began to offer ways to help. This is a fantastic way to be of help - because someone is under stress or shock it's hard to think of what you need.

Here are some things they came up with: Pray and contact the pastor, e-mail friends (they took notes on the situation to make sure they got the information right), keep an eye on the house, take people to or pick up people at the airport.

In addition to asking how to help the people affected, they also wanted to know what they could do to help me personally.

What a fantastic example of how to be a true friend to someone in need.

My favorite way to help me in the moment: "Can we send you home with some 'Prozac"?" Code for double fudge brownies!

Thank you! For the brownies, for the offer to help, for thinking up ways to help even when I could not, and for a wonderful example to follow.

Heather