love it

this is from another blog (here)
i don't get too religious on here, but i really like this post
it's about being a stereotypical "conservative" and how that relates to being a christian.


I must be a naive, lazy, bum.

I wish I was conservative. I really do. It seems nice, to be able to live in a world where the rich work hard and the poor are lazy. I wish I could live in a world where the lines of right and wrong are always clear. I want to live in a world where there is no racism, where systems do not punish entire populations for the accident of being born in the wrong place. It would be nice to know that every woman that wants to take birth control is a slut, and that every woman that wants access to a safe abortion is a baby-killer. I want to live in a world where court systems can be trusted – where an eye could be taken for an eye, and a tooth could be taken for a tooth. I wish I could trust the almighty free market to bring us all to the promised land. It would be nice to see wealth trickle down to every nook and cranny of our communities.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s where I live. I look around and I see cycles of poverty. I see schools failing. I see migrant workers mistreated. I see people kept out of our churches for loving the wrong person. I see mothers struggling. I see children hungry. I see injustice. And for wanting that to change, I am called naive.

For wanting a world where there is enough for everyone, I am called a socialist. For wanting people to have a safety net, I am told that I support lazy people. For wanting peaceful, law-abiding, immigrants to have a realistic path at citizenship, I am told that I don’t care about American workers. For thinking that things like environmental justice and human rights are important, I am told that I hate business. For thinking that steadfast, unconditional love between two people is a precious gift from God and should be celebrated, I am told that I don’t believe the Bible. For thinking that we are all in this together, that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, that I am my brother’s keeper, I am called naive. Or worse.

It would be so much easier to be conservative. I am tired of having my preconceived notions get challenged. Evolving, growing, and changing my mind can be hard work. It would be much easier to fall back on a clear set of guidelines, the letter of the law, and never deal in shades of gray.

Here’s the problem. I’ve read the New Testament, and I keep hearing Jesus tell the Pharisees to look beyond the letter of the law. Then I hear him tell people to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and love one another. I’ve read the Prophets, and I keep hearing them call out the kings that refuse to take care of the least of their people. I’ve read the Psalms, and wondered too why the wicked seem to prosper. Somewhere along the way, I found this crazy notion that maybe a government should take care of its citizens when they need it. I’ve got this crazy notion that Jesus healed people. He fed people. He crossed lines of nationality, ethnicity and gender, and I don’t remember him asking people for resumes. He didn’t ask them who they loved. He didn’t ask them to earn anything. He simply said, “Go, and do likewise.”

So let’s be clear, I’m honestly not sure what the proper course is for our country. I’m sure our current welfare system could be improved, but I think it’s a good thing that we don’t just let people starve. I don’t know every detail of the Affordable Health Care Act, but I think taking care of sick people is something that is worth working toward. I don’t know all the nuances of our tax code, but it seems like it should be simpler to figure out, and that taxes should be harder to avoid. I’m not an expert on immigration, but I don’t like considering people to be illegal.

I don’t have all the answers. I’ve changed my mind before, and I’m sure I will again. A few things have remained the same. I was created in the image of God. I love Jesus. I am strengthened by the Holy Spirit. And I love conservatives. I know, respect, and love a lot of people that are conservative. Maybe that’s the place to start, with love. I think that might be the key: start with love, and move forward with room for disagreement.

I don’t believe that conservatives are heartless, greedy xenophobes. So please don’t consider me to be a lazy, naive bum. I’m desperate to find some common ground. I’m hoping to find a voice crying out in the wilderness that says it doesn’t have to be this way, but I fear that the Presidential Election is going to get ugly. I fear that it is going to get harder and harder to scroll through my newsfeed. I’m afraid that people will continue to tear down, attack, and name-call. I don’t know who will win in November, but I’m pretty certain that I know the outcome.

The sun will rise. The Kingdom will not come (not in November, anyway). Neither candidate is the Messiah. Neither is flawless. God’s promise will remain. God’s love is steadfast and eternal. The world is a broken place, and it needs healing. Maybe that can be our starting point.