The world is still rotating on its axis...

I am an early-to-bed early-to-rise kind of girl. I fell asleep before the polls closed and surfaced around 9 PM to ask The Rockstar if Senator McCain had conceded. Got my answer and went back to sleep. Very uneventful evening at our house- no crying, no pouting, no gnashing of teeth; just a typical early night at chez Wolske.

Here are a few jumbled thoughts on the election and what I think it means for me and us:

1) I was not surprised that Senator Obama won the election, nor was I surprised by the impressive margin by which he won. Congratulations to him and good on all of you who worked so hard to put him in office!

2) Many of my fellow conservatives who are also Christ-followers have written and spoken things along the lines of, "I am praying hard for our country," or, "I am trying to see God's hand in all this." Here' s the thing: we (as Christ followers) should always be praying for our country and her leaders, no matter who they may be! Additionally, how arrogant are we when we expect or even demand that God "show us" His hand or anything? We sound like petulant children asking our parents "why?" when they tell us to do something. Rest assured, God is Sovereign and no power on earth can take that away. If I don't "see" His hand, the fault is mine- either in expecting to be "let in on" everything or in my blindness.

3) The is no supermajority. This is good for all of us, no matter our respective political philosophies. When a minority voice can still be heard, all is well in our republic.

4) Senator Obama, you were not my first choice. Heck, you weren't my second choice! You are, however, going to be my president. You were elected by a majority of the citizens of this great nation, and I defer to their collective voice. Please do your best to remember the rest of us as your govern these next few years.

5) Senator McCain, you were not my original first choice. In fact, I wondered whether I would vote for you at all! However, you gained my support. This was the first presidential election in which I felt I was making a choice FOR a candidate, rather than AGAINST. Thank you for being bold enough to stand up for what is not popular in the short-term, but right in the long-term. Thank you for standing up for small-business owners like my parents. Thank you, also, for your graciousness in defeat. You have earned my respect, sir.

6) My friends who are so overjoyed this morning: Remember this feeling. Savor it and own it. The next time you are on the "losing" side of things, that memory will allow you to be gracious in defeat.

7) My friends who awoke to disappointment: Remember this feeling, savor it and own it. The next time you are on the "winning" side of things, that memory will allow you to be gracious in victory.

8) Finally, remember that President-Elect Obama (is President-Elect a real title or his be Senator Obama until 1/20/09?) is a man. It is not in him that we should place our ultimate faith. He was elected by men to preside over our government. Remember that we are ruled in the USA by law and in life by God. Placing our faith in a man, any man, is a recipe for disappointment (at best) and disillusionment (most likely).

The sun rose this morning on a beautiful autumn day for Green Valley. I will continue to pray for our world, our country, and her leaders. Today, I added a new name to that list.

Comments

Leigh Ann said…
Fabulous blog my friend. You pretty much summed up everything I was thinking about this whole dang thing. Hopefully now we can all move forward and as Christians remember that first and foremost our trust and faith should be in the Almighty God and permanent citizenship, not in a man and a nation that will not last.
Anonymous said…
Really good post. :) I hope more people follow your example. (Although I sympathize with the crushing disappointment some are feeling today, because I felt them both times Bush won.)

Kelly
Anonymous said…
I love your blog. I wish I was as gracious and kind as you. Wonderful wonderful blog. :)

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