A new face in the White House

We have a new president elect. Whether you voted for him or not, Obama won over this country decidedly. He won over people of all backgrounds, nationalities, religions, and races. He won them over with talks of change, and a forthright attitude. I am proud that there will be more diversity in our government. I have never felt such an overwhelming emotion as I did watching Obama on Tuesday night as he graciously accepted McCain’s concession. I was touched by the crowd shots. Older people, young people, every race was represented. There were men and women in suits and kids in t shirts. It was a great example of the make-up of our country. I loved how he interacted with his wife and children. He was loving towards his mother-in-law and exteded family. It was a touching scene.

Over the past few weeks we have all had an emotional rollercoaster while watching the election. I doubt that anyone escaped politics at one point in time or another. I tend to lean to the left when it comes to politics, and I will proudly admit that I voted for Obama. I realize that this is different and maybe even offensive to my “church going” “ACU attending” or “Texas living” friends. I am not a democrat. I do not align myself with a certain party, but most of the time, I prefer the policies of the Democratic party rather than the Republican’s. This election was no different. Why are my political beliefs so different from the majority of my peers? My political views shifted dramatically when I worked for the state. When I figured out that who was put into office would benefit or challenge my job of protecting children (I was a CPS investigator), I started paying a lot closer attention. So when this year’s debates started I read policy and knew how I would vote. I never mentioned it on here or anywhere because it did not really matter. Especially here in Texas, and especially amongst my peers.

Recently, though, I have been reading others blogs, and I have felt like I needed to stand up for what I believe. I realize that this may make others uncomfortable, and it may even make some angry but I feel like it is important. Now I am not going to debate politics, even though it would be fun. I am not going to get into policy, although I think some people need to better educate themselves instead of just going along with the crowd. I will offer that I do not agree with all that Obama stands for, although I do agree with the majority of it. What I want to talk about, and what I have been so caught off guard by is the way that many have reacted to Obama being elected. There have been many people that have been downright ugly about Obama. His faith and relationship with the Lord have been questioned and attacked. He has been called the anti-Christ, and one blog I read devoted a whole section to comparing him to what the Bible says about the anti-Christ. I blogged recently about the book, The Shack, and that it moved me to be a better person. It convicted me to not judge other people. Not at all, not even a little. I cannot imagine the thought process that thinks that you can call someone who says that they are a believer the anti-Christ. Obama and his family attend church. He refers to his faith often. He is a loving husband and father. Yet some people think that they are in a position to judge that. My sweet and incredibly wise husband told me that he does not know why people who are believers think that our God is not strong enough to use Obama, with his flaws, to govern our nation. Why are Christians saying that they are fearful? We all have flaws. We all hold beliefs that do not align perfectly with the Lord’s ways because none of us are perfect. I am sure that I have never heard Obama claim to be perfect. He has admitted that he is not. He alone will have to stand up to the Lord and be judged for what he did. We aren’t into a position to judge him.

My answer to all of this is that we need to understand that Obama is going to be our next president. We need to pray for him. We need to pray for the decisions that he makes, and the people that he chooses to bring into the White House with him. Let’s pray for his wife and his family. For their protection. For their relationships. Let’s not sit around and wonder if we are a better Christian than Obama. Let’s not sit around and treat him like he is anything less than we are: a flawed imperfect person trying to do the best that we can with what the Lord has given us. Let’s learn from this. Let’s learn that God can work through all of us, any of us, and that includes Obama.