STRUGGLING WITH THE PRESENT FEAR 20170209.0201

So our world and our country are in turmoil. Our president has issues an executive order that has “upset the apple cart” and caused even more dissension and strife. The president is under the – I believe – mistaken assumption that everyone who is foreign is here to do us harm and we must guard ourselves from them and their ilk. Of course, the real question comes to my mind, is this really how he feels or is he still just playing the political game to appease his supporters? Whatever his intent and personal fears, this draws my attention to his supporters. Do they really have this innate fear, or is this a fear that has been planted in them from the presidents campaign? How can they live with such a fear? And what can I do to help rid them of this fear?

And so I am faced, yet again with fear as my topic of discussion. This time, however, I am dealing with the fear that others have. Don’t get me wrong, I have fears too.  I fear what the present administration is capable of doing. I fear what problems this administration may do to me as a gay man, and as a liberal Christian. I fear what the administration will do to the women and minorities in our communities. But I don’t have any fear of those seeking sanctuary in our country from their war ravaged homes.

Recently I read a blog post from a very wonderful Christian man by the name of Chris Glaser.( http://chrisglaser.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-i-pray-for-these-days.html ) In the post he explained how he was praying for this administration as well as the many peoples affected by the choices and decisions of this administration. And I must confess that I struggle with that. Not that Chris’ blog is wrong in anyway.  Far from it! But I am challenged by it to be a better Christian and I know that I fall so far from that lofty goal. You see, it is easy to pray for others.  But to pray with one’s heart, as I believe Chris is admonishing us to do, means being vulnerable and struggling to be authentic to our Christian witness. Im other words, I can find all sorts of complaints and problems with the president and his group of supporters, but I am not sure how to let go and be open to what they have to say, because it strikes me as so very wrong.

Yesterday, when I was riding in a friend’s car back from a book reading group that I attend, my friend spoke of her struggles with discussion with someone who was calling for her to look at policy and not anything else of the current administration.  And I am so very close to what she was saying.  That is a hard row to hoe! (Note to Eli: I hope I summarized our discussion correctly) But that is what we need to do to somehow find common ground between those in the struggle. If common ground is even available.

So, I leave you with no conclusion or resolution. I am still caught in this struggle and am in a conundrum as to what to do. And in the wonderful words of President Lincoln, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” And so I offer up this pray, “Oh God, help me in this struggle – Amen!”