The United States is Breaking My Heart. (Also, I have heartburn.)

I  give permission for anyone to use my posts in any way they want to.

In the past twenty years, American politics has made me angry, astonished and heartbroken. I live in Canada now, but have dual citizenship with the U.S. I lived there from the ages of 6 to 17. I had an American education and loved many facets of American life so I keep up with the news.

What hurts me is seeing democracy crumbling apart, step by step, law by law. When the Republicans would not allow President Obama to appoint a new Supreme Court judge, I knew they were ignoring the Constitution. By law, they had to let Obama nominate someone. I didn’t understand why the Democrats let the Republicans get away with it. There must have been something they could do, but they did nothing.

Now, Republicans are trying to obstruct some people groups from voting. They do that by making sure voting places are few and hard to get to. I even saw two Republicans who were running for office say they didn’t want everyone to vote. I guess that’s the only way they would get elected.  News Flash: If a country doesn’t let everyone vote, it is no longer a democracy. Yet these people say it on TV and are looked on as normal politicians of the U.S. by… I don’t know. By how many people? Who in America would think that is a normal thing or good thing to say?

Since the politicians are acting crazy, citizens have started to draft their own ballot initiatives. A great idea, but one the Republicans are fighting. Naturally. They don’t care what the majority of Americans want, they want what they want, come hell or high water. I just read about this yesterday. Here is the article:

GOP escalates fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives. (You’ll have to copy and paste.)

https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-abortion-arkansas-recreational-marijuana-0c003046cc981ebcfb38fa77c1455737

Now, my sister says it is Democrats who are tearing down democracy. She is big on Free Speech and sent me the following article yesterday. It wasn’t news to me because I remember all the hoopla on disinformation on Social Media about the Corona Virus. The Biden Government was having fits about that because they assumed many people would believe the disinformation, get sick, go to the hospital (taking up needed beds) and possibly die.

Because of this, they were using their influence, or clout, to persuade social media companies to not allow it. My sister says this is squelching free speech. And I guess she is right.

I asked her what was more important to her, making sure everyone could vote or free speech. She said, “Free speech.” I said, “Voting.” So, there you have it. We disagree a lot, but have decided to love each other anyway. Here is the article she sent me on this subject:

NCLA Suit Uncovers Army of Federal Bureaucrats Coercing Social Media Companies to Censor Speech.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Fpress-release%2Fglobe-newswire%2Fsocial-media-lawsuits-censorship-5888c4a917d4cce1993713dd2fe5ce2d%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3RVP7Yz7L5wG_Gvc92f6so_uasFCpSXdyLl90DxJRRzWDVtCljUrlKC2U&h=AT1abqPOgGqFEJfwYbs8C7RciPxWFbneq_g1ERD42M3QDtu3XOoeFAeFUZTkbPsoHt-5yDz10Z6PmTtawhZo2MVGRtMSScAMwDJ3V-SCOkDhXA4MLOtodh4FCoymUsYT_tc

My previous post was about the new abortion laws, which make me more angry and sad than anything else because it involves the persecution and suffering of women and children who are pregnant. It is entirely Religion+State, which is also against the Constitution, but what the heck, Republicans don’t care about the Constitution.

Yes, my heart is hurting from watching the true U.S. fall apart. Our only hope, as I’ve said before, is millions of women voting for the Democrats. If they don’t, they will be having lots of babies and maybe dying.

These Dark Days.

 

Photo by Peter Griffin

(I give permission for anyone to copy any of my posts.)

In these dark days, we need encouragement, hope and peace. God will give that to us in many ways. One way is asking him for them, another is listening to uplifting music. Somehow music feeds our soul. Like everything else on earth it can feed our souls for good or evil. The last few years, I have found music lifts my heart up to the heavens. The earth seems to fade away.

 Below I have printed the lyrics to a song that comforts me. This artist sings some of the most beautiful words I have heard in music. I hope you look him up and give his music a try.

 Always Good.

 Written and sung by Andrew Peterson

 Do You remember how Mary was grieving?

How You wept and she fell at Your feet?
If it's true that You know what I'm feeling
Could it be that You're weeping with me?

Arise, O Lord, and save me
There's nowhere else to go

You're always good, always good
Somehow this sorrow is shaping my heart
Like it should
And You're always good, always good

It's so hard to know what You're doing
So why won't You tell it all plain?
But You said You'd come back on the third day
And Peter missed it again and again

So maybe the answer surrounds us
And we don't have eyes to see

You're always good, always good
This heartache is moving me closer than joy ever could
And You're always good

My God, my God, be near me
There's nowhere else to go
And Lord, if You can hear me
Please help Your child to know

That You're always good, always good
As we try to believe what is not meant
To be understood
Will You help us to trust Your intentions for us are still good?
'Cause You laid down Your life and You suffered like I never could

And You're always good, always good
You're always good, always good

 

 We Christians should never forget what happened to the followers of Jesus right after he went to heaven. There was death, imprisonment and persecution. Many Jews were thrown out of their church, excommunicated. This meant no one could trade with them or talk with them. They lost everything for Jesus. That is why the believers needed to share among themselves. The need was very great.

 Remember what happened when Rome turned against Christianity. They tortured and killed thousands. Remember the suffering of the Holocaust. Not only Jews, but Christians, gays, mentally disabled and those who resisted Hitler were wiped out. Remember the suffering of the war itself. I had an uncle who died who left a wife and two daughters behind.

 It seems to me that we, North Americans, are surprised by suffering. We don’t seem to think we should have to suffer anything. Even the wearing of a simple mask in order to not spread an illness to others. No, we think that is too much to ask. It is a sacrifice we aren’t willing to make.

 Many believe there is no virus. It is all untrue! So that means every news service in all the world is lying about all the people who are suffering and dying. There is some vast (worldwide) conspiracy against – who? Them personally, I guess.

 To me, these are the scary people of the world. These are the ones who will persecute others to the death – like the ones who go surround government officials with weapons and send death threats. If they can, they will overthrow the democracy of the United States and keep Trump in power.

 We are in our own era now, with our own wars against a virus, against ignorance and against pure evil. We don’t need to fear though, because God will walk through this time with us. He may let us suffer as he has done for millions in the past. We may lose our lives to violence by the hand of evil people.

 But as the song says, Jesus did too. And his death was much worse than any that can happen to a human, because he had the sins of the world on his heart and his Father turned away from him. The Father did this so Jesus could experience the second death: knowing we will be separated from God forever because of our sinful lives. At the judgement, God will show us our sinful lives and why he can’t take us to heaven. Then we will die and be dead forever. Jesus went through that to take our place if we want him to. He endured it so we don’t have to, and he endured it for every person.