Word vs words
“The grass wither, the flowers fade. But the Word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
I come to you today with lots of words swirling in my head, but truly wanting the Word to break through the swirling. So I am going to give it a whirl 😂
I have stated that I am not going to get political in my writing, and I am going to stick to this, not endorsements here. However, I am going to share a few quotes that have been triggering emotions in me that I’ve not quite ever had to the degree I am experiencing this week (election season). I will even be fair in quoting all three viable (using this word very loosely- I have to have some sarcasm to survive!) candidates for president 😊 I will give the quotes and then share my swirling thoughts and most importantly, bring light and truth to each.
Quote #1 “You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. You will no longer be in danger. You’re not gonna be in danger any longer. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected, and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.” -DT
Quote #2 “Pledge that if Congress were to pass a bill reinstating Roe v. Wade, I would proudly sign it into law as president.” -KH
Quote #3 “I have been asked to go on to the transition team to help pick the people who will be running the government and I am looking forward to that.” -RFK, Jr.
I am really going to try not to be sarcastic with any of these quotes. Help me Jesus!
Quote #1: Let’s take a look at some of the words used in this quote:
- abandon: cease to support or look after; discard; desert; disown
- lonely: without friends; isolated; solitary
- scared: cause great fear and nervousness
- danger: possibility of suffering risk or injury
- anxiety: feeling worry, unease, or nervousness
- protected: keep safe from harm or injury
- healthy: without disease
- confident: self-assured
- free: not under the control or in the power of another
At first glance these promises seem really good, but they are impossible promises which makes them false promises. We can take this statement as just another political ploy of words, or we can search for the truth, what the Word promises us. “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT. “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33, NLT. I also was reading John 9 this week, and it brought a new sight… literally and figuratively!
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (NLT, Biblegateway.com)
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.[a] The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
12 “Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this,[b] because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”
34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
Spiritual Blindness
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
I don’t know if you have ever experienced life altering moments, but this man did. These type of moments can either make you run faster to the saving arms of Jesus or not. I can only speak for myself, the moments I have experienced and witness, there is no other way but God. No human, no superhero, no spirit, no gods that I have ever learned about could ever intervene, give clarity, give rest, give hope, give calm like He does! That’s my words. If you are doubting or questioning, skip the self-help and how-to books, go straight to the Word, the Bible, it’s all there!
(not all thoughts will be this long!)
Quote #2: Taking the last two sentences of the first quote: “Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.” Along with quote number two, let me lay down some facts. I am in no way a sign thrower. You will not find me marching, because I don’t really enjoy being outside and exercising. However, you will find me praying for lives of those who are innocent and can’t fight for themselves. I believe in the incredible power of prayer and I will advocate for those who cannot. So that being said, “happy, healthy, confident and free women,” umm, may I ask politely who is defining this? I have many doctors, a bucket load of diagnosis, restrictions on daily life and diet, but also know my limits, so I would define myself as a pretty happy, healthy, confident, and free woman. As for abortion and Roe v wade, this will never be something I no longer think about, because it’s always going to be a policy issue. Honestly, I could rattle off facts about the constitution and how this case should have never made it to the Supreme Court, but I will leave that up to you to research. (Book: Compelling Interest by Resler and resources from 40 Days for Life are excellent reads) That all would be my words. I will say my concern goes beyond the legal – there is a whole group of people that are missing in the abortion/life/womens rights conversation, who already are taking a hit from culture in many areas. If you can’t see who is missing, then this further proves my point, it takes two to conceive. But lets get to the Word… “One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17, NLT. Need I say more?
Quote #3: I have respect for the Kennedy family in many aspects of life! I’m just not sure where this one missed some of the health and medical advances that the family has helped move forward and get out the word and research in many areas. But everyone is entitled to their own thoughts. I have expressed in my writing my strong beliefs about vaccines and health care that is made available to us in the US, verses other countries and I don’t shy away from this at all. So my words about this quote: Be alert! Let’s see what the Word says about appointing leaders: “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.” Romans 13:1-3, NLT. And one of my most favorite reminders of all: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6, NLT
Conclusion: don’t take my word, go to the Word for truth. I challenge you, along with myself, to listen and hear and read, then seek Biblical understanding of what’s going on. Not obsess but allow ourselves to be uncomfortable with what is seemingly comforting statements. I also encourage you to read about the different “job descriptions” of each elected official. I am also an “old soul” of sorts and think reading the Constitution every now and then doesn’t hurt. 😊 And always have the Word, the Bible, on top of all other books!
Life Book of the Week: Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, by Jill Biden. I love people’s stories, period.
How about some resources?
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government
https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/constitution.htm
https://www.branch.vote/ I found this website last night in search of some direction on candidates. I found it helpful 😊
