IN GOD WE TRUST

I have never been so ready for an election to be over in my life! My social media and the television are full of the election.  My phone rings non-stop and our mail box and door are filled with political ads.

 AHHHHHHHH! I need a break!

It is no secret to anyone that I love politics and history. It was my major in college, and I love to see how the past effects the future. In the past, I also loved the whole spectacle of it. Big parties, patriotism, and laudable ideas often flowed from all candidates interested in public office. It could be very exciting for a political nerd like me. 

However, this election has struck a dissonant chord with me. It is so hard to put into words why it makes me so uneasy, but please let me try. 

I am a Christian. I made the decision to follow Christ a little later in life, so many of my political views from my younger days have changed. I think the biggest change is a disdain for the spectacle that American politics has become. Our nation is filled with real people with real problems. Some of these problems could actually be fixed by the government, but they seem too busy with themselves to care. At the very least, government should protect it's people. Instead, we have a nation filled with politicians who go into government and actually come out richer than they went in. While we still don't have a budget in Illinois, and businesses are starting to face hardships due to the lack of state payments, Illinois lawmakers still receive their pay and benefits.

I don't know if it is our 24 hour news cycle, our short attention spans, or the vast apathy sweeping our nation, but everything seems a little worse this year. We are constantly bombarded with news stories about things my children shouldn't even know about. Commercials are filled with profanity and offensive images. The debates were a slug fest. After all the mudslinging that has gone on for the past two years (at least), how could ANYONE, in good conscience, vote for EITHER of the major party nominees?

We have turned our government into a reality t.v. show. We idolize the participants, and we can't wait to see what happens next. Who's going to win? What will they do to appease the voters next? Will either of them actually go to jail??? All the while, the contestants, I mean nominees, already know how the story ends. We have to wait for the finale. 

Reality t.v. never seemed very real to me. I mean, who actually goes to an island with no supplies and tries to stick it out?? Who does anything these people do on reality t.v. without actually wanting to be on reality t.v.? IT IS NOT REAL!!!! So, what happens when your presidential election looks like reality t.v.?

 How is our nation ever going to survive?

  FIND OUT NEXT WEEK ON 

ELECTION 2016!

Really? 

Is this the best we can do?

I don't think so.

We can set limits on our political process.We can choose better next time. We can turn off the constant news and spend time loving our families and neighbors. We can start dropping to our knees and praying for our nation and the person God chooses to lead it. 

Most importantly, instead of believing that ANY political leader will save America, we need to trust God to save us. The founders knew this. It's even on our money.