Seven years ago I voted for president Obama. I was SO excited. I had a party to celebrate. I had so much hope in the renewal of the world, the earth and humanity. I used to hear republicans call Obama the antichrist (I didn't know anything about the antichrist) and thought they just hated good people. I actually thought they hated everything that (I thought) was good. Women's right to choose (abortion), climate change reform. I thought they wanted to destroy the planet. I bashed Fox news because I thought they were the only biased news channel, hah! I thought they hated immigrants, homosexuals and poor people. I supported gun control, afterall guns kill people right? I honestly didn't care if Obama was Christian or Muslim. I thought, as long as he cares about the planet, I like him. He defends the oppressed, believes in healthcare for all who need it. He's just a good guy! The old me would have hated the new me for questioning whether we should take Muslim immagrants. To me, religion was religion and they all had the same goal. I was clueless. Never in my WILDEST dreams would I have thought I would change my views on any of these issues. I mean, I considered myself to be a good person because I cared about the welfare of all people. I was SO set in my beliefs about woman's right to choose I would flip off church protesters. I'm not even kidding. I actually flipped off church protesters at the church I now attend! Shhh.. don't tell them;;-). I was a HARD CORE leftist. More of a democrat than a liberal though. I never embraced the anarchic anything goes philosophy.
I'm not going to tell you that God flipped a switch in my hard headed head and suddenly I woke up conservative. Being a Christian isn't about being a political conservative. That's not what this post is about. It is about God's ability to effect positive change in a person. His ability to completey change your mind about things. His ability to make you see things you never would have seen before. His ability to transform. Am I a finished masterpiece? Far from it!! I am a work in progress if ever there was one. I'm not "there" but I'm getting there. I still have a tendency toward anxiety. I get extremly angry about certain things. I admire people who can turn the other cheek, but I really want to stand and fight (especially with words). I have a sharp tongue that is excruciatingly difficult to tame. I enjoy verbal swordplay a little too much. I don't have any real enemies, but if I did could I love them truly? I don't know. He's working on me in those areas.
The fact is, is that the elections are coming up and I see things differently this time around. Granted I'm not excited about any of the canididates, but my views are FAR from where they used to be. I no longer see republicans as enemy and demacrats as friend. I question everyone. I question every issue, and see that it has two sides. I would NEVER in a million years vote for an atheist, a potential Muslim, or a socialist! I would never vote for a candidate who doesn't acknowledge the importance of supporting Israel as a basic tenet of survival for this country. Even I am amazed at my thoughts! I'm like.. really? I'm thinking this now? Crazy! Left leaning readers probably see it as a change for the worse, and honestly, the old me gets it;-). I totally understand where you're coming from, because I just came from there.
The thing is though, that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. When we tune into Him, he reprograms us. He gives us new eyes and new ears to see and hear in ways we never thought possible, or probable. I can't explain it. My only mission is to point people to the truth, which lies in the Words of God. The Bible. The truth will set us all free, eventually.
