May 25, 2018

Show Me Your Values

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

– 1 Timothy 4:1-2

It’s election time in my conservative state. Let’s get out the vote! And let’s be sure to vote for a Christian with conservative values who will defend our rights. That’s what they all say.

I know little about any of the candidates besides what appears publicly through their advertisements and the media. I guess I’ve become a bit of a cynic. Don’t tell me how deep your faith is. Show me. In this season of my life, I’ve learned that those who preach the loudest usually are the ones most apt to take advantage of someone. I know it’s a generalization but it’s just something I’ve witnessed again and again.

When a candidate tells me he’s qualified for office because he’s a conservative Christian, I don’t shout “hallelujah!” and race to the polls. I don’t believe Jesus was a conservative or a liberal. I doubt He would side with the Republicans or the Democrats. I think Jesus would tell us that sometimes both sides get it right and sometimes both sides get it wrong.

What I see are a bunch of power-hungry individuals who are out for their own good and the good of their bank accounts. Some may actually believe they can be the change. But backroom deals are truth. To get anything done, you’ve got to work together. You can’t do that when you think you’re always right.

One conservative Christian loudly proclaims his faith and his Republican status. He also believes – truly – that blacks won’t be in heaven. He wears his racism as proudly as he does his “faith.”

Another Christian conservative demands that everyone get a job, keep their word, and do for others. I want to say, “You first,” but I don’t. I tell myself not to judge but it’s difficult to hold my tongue in the face of such blatant hypocrisy.

Then we’ve got the other side. We’ve always got the other side. The liberal Democrats who think everyone should be guaranteed a wage and who don’t fully comprehend that every good thing requires a payment.

We’ve got Democrats who blame everyone but the perpetrator and demand change before we actually enforce the laws already on the books. Where is accountability?

The truth is our country is in crisis because two different sides can’t come together and work toward a reasonable solution to the problems we face. We’re too busy being “right” to actually understand that sometimes we’re wrong.

Some of the strongest people of faith I know, people who actually live as Jesus would to the best of their ability, are liberal Democrats. And some of the biggest hypocrites I know, self-serving people who say one thing publicly while living something else privately, are conservative Republicans. The opposite is true as well.

We’re all just people when it comes down to it. We all need a large dose of Jesus and a whole lot less of ourselves. Don’t tell me who you are, show me. I don’t need a lecture on values. I need to see what your values really are by how you live your life.