Day After Election Thoughts

When I began this blog I promised myself I wouldn't tread into controversial territory, namely politics and religion since these topics seem to be divisive, and I just wanted this blog to be fun. I wanted to write about the every day things in my life and my perspectives on them, and maybe laugh at myself just a bit. Well, I am going to break my own rule today!

As I have studied my family history and gotten to know my ancestors through genealogy, I can't help but notice that I come from a long line of elected officials...politicians! Back in the early days, when my ancestors resided in Pennsylvania, much of my family held positions of political influence. Even as recently as 115 years ago, my great-grandfather, Ben Painter, served as the Sheriff of Keya Paha County and was elected as a commissioner some time after that. My own father served as a deputy sheriff and a commissioner. My sister held the position of County Clerk in this county for a number of years, and I, myself, was Keya Paha County Treasurer for 20 years. So there's no denying that politics is in our genes. 

On the subject of religion, I just can't deny who I am...a child of God, a sinner saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the 40 plus years that I have known Christ as my Savior, the teachings and precepts of religion have grown deep roots into my soul  and have colored every facet of  my life. 

Within the church it's always a bit unsettling when church business becomes political, but it happens. In the case of politics, to divorce your spiritual beliefs for political correctness is very dangerous. You can't in good conscience abandon what you know deep in your heart to be true and right to stand with the masses.

So this is what has made this election so very hard for so many. I didn't have a problem figuring out who I wanted to vote for. The only question I had to address is whether or not the candidate stood for Godly principles, personalities aside. And as far as I could see, that wasn't hard to discern. My key points are abortion, constitutional adherence, and our country's position with Israel. All the other key issues are secondary, economy, foreign relations, border control, unemployment...they will work themselves out as we align ourselves with Godly principles. 

So here we sit, the day after the most pivotal and controversial election in my recollection, and there is still not a clue who the next president of the United States will be! I know all the mail-in voting has slowed down the counts, but since last evening there hasn't been a hint of anything even happening! It seems we should be seeing some tallies. With all the hints of voter fraud and irregularities in the polling, this is raising my suspicions about what is happening. I know it will eventually be resolved but not soon enough for me!

So here is my thoughts on not only the election but on many things that have been happening in our world lately. There are not hard facts or information about anything! When it comes to Covid 19, there seems to be more misinformation that facts. One expert says masks will slow the spread, another says they are making us sick. One expert says the only way this will be resolved is with a vaccine, another expert says a safe vaccine can't be manufactured in such a short time. One expert says we need to social distance and another says we need to develop herd immunity by being together. The Democrats say that the Republicans are colluding and spying and lying about it all, but the Republicans are accusing the Democrats of the same thing. Who do you believe? And how can you make informed decisions about anything with the facts being all over the place? Who is creating fraud in the election, both parties accuse the other of rigging the vote. And these are just my current concerns. What about any of the hundreds of issues we've faced in the past 20 years? Each party spins it according to their own agenda and we have no idea what the real truth is.

So far this has been all gloom and doom, but there is a bright light in all of this. God is not ignorant of what's going on, and he has not abandoned us to the results of the choices of man. God has a plan, and man, no matter how much power and influence he might have, cannot thwart God's plan. I have not a clue what God's plan is, but I can rest assured that he has my future under control. I will admit that it was a lot easier to write that than to live it, but it's the only way to live with peace of mind.

I was kind of a restless mess yesterday. I couldn't seem to keep my mind anywhere for any length of time and picked up my phone to check for election news at least 200 times throughout the day...no exaggeration! I didn't sleep well last night because every time I even slightly roused I was checking my phone for election news. I have been at loose ends today with the uncertainty and unresolved status of the election outcome. This has been stupid on my part because ultimately it doesn't matter who's the next president...God is positively in control and His plan will be played out regardless, and this is a fact you take to the bank!

So, while I was writing all this and attempting to convince not only you but myself as well that all will be well, Wisconsin turned blue! And now I am back to plotting how I am going to hide my guns and live in a socialist nation. Will all the hoopla about Covid 19 die down or will we be faced with further mandates requiring masks, social distancing and only holding online church services becoming our new lifestyle? Will abortion be expanded even more than it is now to allow babies to be murdered with less restriction than we now have? Will we throw open our borders to allow foreigners to enter our country with no restriction bringing with them crime and disease and a drain on our welfare system, as well as cultural diversity? Will the unemployment rates rise as many jobs are once again moved oversees? We don't know that today, only God can see the future. 

I realize I have gone full circle several times in my thoughts, and this is how my thoughts have been swirling today. Round and round, from faith to despair, from panic to peace. So don't be like Sandi! Rest in God's peace and know that He is still on the throne.