My Angry Voice Siren Call

Okay, now I am one of the “angry voices” that my governor, Nikki Haley, spoke about.  But it has become obvious that being soft and gentle is not working.  It’s not working partly because even some of my “brothers and sisters in Christ” look at me sideways, insinuate my bent toward being “unloving” (among other things), and say disparaging things that are not true.  Am I calling them liars?  No, I choose to think the best of them and will say they are ignorant about what they speak.  I have also seen and read several blog posts and opinion columns equating Jesus as a refugee.  Sadly, the theology (or lack thereof) in these has been at the very least poor. 

So I take it upon myself to write this, not because I believe I am anyone important, nor do I think I have superior knowledge.  It is just that my heart cries out for truth, for correct thinking, for understanding, for freedom of speech, for the ability to express thoughts and ideas without being labeled as bigoted, unloving, uncaring, xenophobic, hateful, and worst of all non-Christian. 

Please understand that I have no problem giving safe harbor to true refugees.  Would you be shocked to know that America currently takes more refugees from the world’s ghettos than all other refugee resettlement countries in the world combined?  But all refugees are not equal in the sense of the danger they might bring.  And unless and until we in the United States of America can find a way to accurately and fully assess them (vet them), we owe it to our children, our loved ones, our fellow citizens, and those very brave men and women who have given the most to keep us safe, to hold back the surge of refugees.

“There is no right to emigrate to the United States. And the fact that one comes from a country or territory ravaged by war does not, by itself, make one an asylum candidate. War, regrettably, is a staple of the human condition. Civil wars are generally about power. That often makes them violent and, for many, tragic; but it does not necessarily make them wars in which one side is persecuting the other side. (James Simpson)

I ask often, why there are so many young men who are the refugees.  It doesn’t make sense to me that so few women and children are in these groups.  Why aren’t these young, strong, fit men staying in their own country to fight for what they believe, or to defend their homeland?  We fought a war in this country, an “Un-civil” war,"The War Between the States."  Don’t you think it would have turned out very different if many of the young men had fled to England or Europe? I think our country wouldn’t be the same today had that occurred.

Do you know what happened in Cologne Germany, other parts of Germany, and throughout Europe on New Year’s Eve?  Have you educated yourself on the many attacks, ravaging sexual attacks, happening to women in far too many places across the globe?  Places filled coincidentally (I think not) with particular kinds of refugees?  If you believe this is just rhetoric and “right wing” paranoia, then I suggest you tell that to the many wounded women who will never be the same.  And to those who are rightfully afraid to leave their homes right now.

You do know that the two perpetrators of the San Bernardino terrorist attack were immigrants who were supposedly run through our vetting process.  Apparently it isn’t working.  “FBI director James Comey said during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing that the federal government does not have the ability to conduct thorough background checks on all of the 10,000 Syrian refugees that the Obama administration says will be allowed to come to the U.S.” (The Daily Caller)

All I’m really trying to say is, yes I am angry.  One of the very few actual responsibilities of the US government is to protect the homeland.  They are doing a very poor job.  I am angry that the lives of people I love and even ones I don’t know are being put at high risk.  I’m angry that when I voice this belief I am marginalized and branded.  All of us need to use the common sense given to us, inform ourselves, and start actually observing as opposed to being indoctrinated.

Christians, please stop saying and insinuating Jesus was a refugee, He was not.  He is God and the Son of God.  Satan was trying to destroy Him.  There is no other person who comes even close to that.  So please stop, it is disingenuous and poor theology.

We are all image bearers of God and by all means let’s bring to our shores the truly persecuted, the truly needy, the ones who cannot defend themselves.  But our first responsibility it to our own families, our own nation. 1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

#refugeecrisis 

Being Special Being Ordinary

We all want to be special.  In fact, I look around and I think it’s become an epidemic.  It’s not good enough anymore to have an ordinary life, to have a life whose reward is the knowledge that you work hard at what you do, you come home every night to your typical ordinary family, and you find contentment in the mundane. 

I do understand, I have found myself caught up in the same thing.  I mean I’m writing a blog right now for Pete's sake, having some sort of grand idea that someone actually cares what I have to say.  Of course I want to make a difference, I want to make my mark on life, but I can’t help thinking that if that’s the goal, if that’s the driving force, then something is wrong.  Because it appears to me that there is a whole lot of people out there trying desperately to be special and significant, make a name for themselves, and they’re really messing up their lives and often the lives of others.

Don’t get me wrong, being special, being extraordinary is a good thing.  But when we’ve taken that good thing and turned it into an ultimate goal, it’s somehow ends up getting twisted, warped, perverted, and even sometimes becomes toxic.  A very good example of that, I believe, are all of these public shootings we’ve been hearing and reading about.  This country has always had guns, we’ve always had schools in one form or another, we’ve always had public meeting places of various kinds, but one thing we haven’t always had is a 24 hour news cycle.  I can’t help but presume as these shooting seem on the increase, that many of the shooters (maybe all) were trying desperately, in a very deranged way, to make a name for themselves.  “I may not live through this, but at least they’ll remember my name.”  Maybe if we didn’t give them the recognition, plastering their name, life story and picture all over the place for days and weeks, they may not use this sick way to “be special.”

Another example that I see disturbs me greatly.  There are so many people, men and women, that have found being a victim makes them special.  They get attention, they get loved on, felt sorry for, and all kinds of other consideration that they otherwise would never get.  Please don’t hear what I’m not saying.  I’m not saying there aren’t victims out there and I’m not saying that we shouldn’t care for them and love them, comfort and try to help them get back to normal.  But what I’m finding is there’s a lot of people that want to stay stuck in their victimhood because they’ve somehow garnered from that, “being special”.  “If I don’t have something wrong with me, if I don’t share some difficult struggle I’m having today, if I don’t come up with some weird and terrifying thing that’s going on in my mind, or with my body, then I’m not going to have the attention of that person that I so desperately desire getting attention from.”  It makes them feel special.

We don’t have to make a name for ourselves to be special.  We don’t have to be the victim of some terrible thing in order to get love and affection.  I want to start something new.  I want to begin to recognize the ordinary people and start telling them how truly special they really are.  That person who goes to work every day and gives 100% of themselves to their job while they’re there, that’s actually very unique and pretty special.  That soldier who goes off risking life and limb to stand for freedom, not doing it for the pay or the pat on the back, you are extraordinary.  The police officer, firefighter, all first responders, you also do what you do, not for the pay, not for the thank you, but because you know someone needs to and it’s the right thing to do.  You are amazing special people. 

For the mom who decided her career would be raising her kids, who decided the name she would make for herself was mommy, and whose recognition only needs to come from the eyes of her child.  You are an exceptional woman who has made the best name for herself.  To the man who has decided that his family is the priority, who works his heart out caring and providing for the needs of his loved ones.  You have decided that being daddy is the most extraordinary thing you could ever do. You are indeed special.

I could go on describing ordinary people that are just tromping through life taking care of the things that need to be taken care of, not needing someone to tell them that their special, not needing to make a name for themselves, not needing to be remembered in posterity for evermore.  Because I think you know people like this and many of you are people like this. I'd say you are very special.

I kind of like having a boring life; well what most people would consider boring.  I’ve come to appreciate the ordinary rhythm of my life. I will never be famous, people will never speak my name with reverence and awe, but I think people will remember me, at least a few will, and I hope that they remember that I was kind, that I showed them love and compassion, that I was there when they needed me, that I was a shoulder to cry on, and one of their best cheerleaders.  Most of all I hope that they remember that in all that I did, all that I do, I desire to bring glory and honor to God.  Because you see it isn’t about me, it isn’t about me making a name for myself, it isn’t about me being special and unique, it’s about living my life every day, predictable and mundane as it might be, to honor God and to love others. 

 Hebrews 6:10  For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

We Are Consumers

My Home

Hello again, it has been awhile.  This thing called life keeps getting in the way of things I want to do.  It is a good thing for the most part, but someone please tell me where does the time go when we aren’t looking?

For some time now I have had something – as my grandmother would say – stuck in my craw and have the need, well maybe just a strong desire, to share it with you.  It has become obvious to me that we are consumers.  When I say we it is mostly referring to westerners because that is who I am most familiar with, especially Americans from the United States.  And when I say consumers it isn’t definition number one; “One that consumes, especially one that acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing” that I am referring to, it is definition number two; “A heterotrophic organism that ingests other organisms or organic matter in a food chain.” Okay, not literally but metaphorically we are consumers, definition number 2…well maybe a little on the literal side as well.

When my husband and I got married (almost 33 years ago) his parents lived in a very nice, rather expensive neighborhood, the best in town.  They have since moved away, but we had the opportunity to visit this neighborhood a while back and I was shocked.  The homes were rundown, the once beautiful yards were neglected, and to be honest it wasn’t a place I’d want to live now.  Even my own neighborhood is disheartening.  We moved in to this lovely new neighborhood, with shiny new houses, decent looking yards, and smiling neighborly faces.  Ten (just) years later some homes are in disrepair, some left unattended from three outrageous storms, green organic matter growing on the sides of some homes, parking on the grass instead of the driveways has left deep muddy ruts that spill out on to the street.  It is as if some insect has begun to eat away at a beautiful plant.

This past summer, after having to clean up an exorbitantly messy garage at my mom’s house left by others, my husband was heard telling one of my nephews; “A real man leaves a place better than he found it.”  This is not the only mark of a real man that my husband has, but he was and is very right.  A real man, a real woman, an excellent person doesn’t consume everything around them, they leave a place better than how they found it.

Detroit

But I have been looking around my circle of influence and see people just consuming the life out of everything they have.  They buy a house, it’s lovely, and they are so excited and set everything in place.  Before long things start to break down, walls get scratched or scuffed, the siding gets mildewed, the excitement wears off, and nothing is done to fix or improve things.  Let’s face it, the second law of thermodynamics (order to disorder) is always in play.  But we don’t want to take the time to fix things, or improve things, it’s too much trouble.  We’ll just live here for a while, run the place down to the point we don’t like it anymore, and buy a new house in a different neighborhood.  Who cares if we leave the neighborhood looking crummy, we aren’t going to live there anyway.  Have you seen picture from Detroit lately?  There was a whole lot of consuming going on there and it is as if a swarm of locusts swooped in and devoured everything.

And I ask, when did we stop leaving a place, our home, our yard, our park, our city, our county, our state, even our country better than we found it.  I think of our founding fathers and those that came before us, taking a place with nothing and building an empire.  The brave people who decided to move west to a wilderness never experienced before, making it home.  Have you been to Charleston, SC?  Old buildings made to stand for a long time, cared for and kept up.  Do we build anything like that today?  Most things today are built to be consumed.  And even our relationships are being consumed then tossed away.  Friendships that last as long as I’m getting something out of it.  Or marriages that last only as long as my needs are being met…consume then move on.

Charleston, SC

I want to encourage all of us to think on this; leave a place better than how we found it.  Not just our homes and community but where we work…yes, leaving work today a better place than when you came in this morning, what a concept. This extends even to our relationships. Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  Instead of consuming everything in sight, using it, getting out of it all that I can and then moving on, I want to leave every place better than I found it. 

A Lesson from a Dark-haired Stranger

Yes, yes I know, it has been over a year since I was here.  It has been a very busy year, and while there have been some things I’ve wanted to write about, it seems so many of you have so many wonderful things to say and the last thing the blogosphere needed was my words or thoughts.  But something happened today that was pretty amazing, and I just want to share it with you.

It was time to take our dog Sandi to the vet to have her heartworm test.  As I went into the office I noticed a dark headed little boy sitting in one of the chairs holding a towel.  He looked to be between 8 and 10, and had a look of concern on his face.  The wet spot on the floor with a crumpled up paper towel gave evidence of a pet who had had an accident.  The receptionist greeted me and I sat down to wait for Sandi to be taken back for the test.  The little dark-haired boy eyed me with unsure curiosity.  It wasn’t long until they came to take Sandi back for the blood work.

I looked at the little boy and I asked him “how are you.”  He hesitated and then spoke carefully through braces incased teeth, “I’m fine.”  I asked him if he had a pet that the doctor was seeing, and with concern in his voice he said yes.  He told me his dog Savanna had not been well for two days, that she was having trouble standing, he looked worried.  I assured him that Dr. Campbell (our veterinarian) is an excellent doctor and I was sure she would do everything she could for Savanna. 

He proceeded to tell me about his other dogs, three more, and how they used to have one more but she had been killed by a car.  “Her mom was also hit by a car but she is fine she only lost one of her legs” he said.  “Oh, and sometimes there are two dogs they bring to our school that have lost a leg.”  I told him I was amazed at how animals and even people seem to adapt and do very well when they’ve lost a limb or something like that.  “I lost a finger” he said.  “You did, how did that happen?” He told me how his fingers had been “stuck together” when he was born and in order to get them apart one had to be cut off, and he showed me his right hand, with the two last fingers looking “odd”.  “I had to have therapy” he informed me.  “I am sure you did and I’ll bet you worked very hard, but that’s pretty cool” I told him.  His face showed his appreciation.

About that time a bit younger, towheaded boy jumped out from somewhere I hadn’t known he’d been.  They really didn’t look that much alike, especially considering the very dark hair and the very blond hair, but I asked, “Is that your brother?”  “Yes, we are both adopted” he confessed.  “Well, that makes you even more special” I said to him.  He shook his head in the affirmative with big sparkling eyes.

Then this precious boy share his story with me; “we both have the same mom and different dads.  My mom and dad got divorced when I was little and it was really hard.”  (As if being 8 to 10 years old makes you big)  “Then my mom got a boyfriend and that was his dad” he was pointing at his brother.  They took me to Pendleton.”  He was meaning Pendleton Place for Children, a place for abused children.  “My mom’s boyfriend, his dad (pointing gain), tried to kill me; he tried to suffocate me by putting a towel over my nose and mouth, that’s why I had to go to Pendleton.”  “But then we got adopted together and I have a new family.”

It took a lot of self-control on my part to not get up, walk across the room, and hug this boy, but I knew that was not what he wanted, or expected.  I looked him right in the eye and said “God was protecting you, He was taking care of you, and He was making sure you stayed alive.  And with what seemed like an expression of complete understanding, this dear little soul shook his head yes, and said with all confidence “I know”.

It was about that time that the technician brought my dog back and unbeknownst to me, someone walked his dog through the room and outside.  I again assured this dark-haired little man that I was certain Dr. Campbell would do everything she could to get his doggie better.  “That was her and she already looks better” he said, now with a smile on his face.  I took Sandi, I paid my bill, and I turned to this little boy and told him how very grateful I was to have met him.  What I didn’t tell him is how amazed I am at his very attitude of life.

He has, in his very short time on this earth, been through more than most of us who are much older.  But this young man had an outlook on life that I believe we could all learn from.  His dog was sick and there was worry in his eyes, but he seems to trust that the doctor could do her job well.  His other dog had lost a leg, but he thought it was pretty neat that she got around with the other three, not turning away and being repulsed by a deformity.  He had been born with a problem, one that caused him to lose a finger and have to “get therapy”, but he didn’t whine and complain and feel sorry for himself, he just went right on.  His mom’s boyfriend tried to kill him; he was put in a home for abused children, but was that his focus is that were his thoughts dwelt, no, he was happy to have his new family and his brother with him.

Dark-haired boy chose to look at those things that are good, he chose to do what Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  He may not fully comprehend that’s what he was doing, but it certainly is a lesson and a reminder for me. 

Mark 10:14-16 “But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. (15) Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (16) And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”