It’s election season, and we are snowed under with emails,
mailers, tv and radio ads all trying to sway you to their candidate. Despite
the avalanche of information, it’s getting harder and harder each year to get a
clear picture of what each candidate stands for. It seems they are less
interested in convincing to you to vote for them as they are in having you not
vote for the other guy.
As much as we hate to admit it, our politicians are often just
a reflection of the population as a whole. As a culture, we love to hate
things. "It didn’t come quickly enough in the mail", "the lines were too long", "the
service was poor", and a thousand other things define our lives. We rabidly air our
grievances on Facebook and Instagram. Our lives can quickly become defined by
what we don’t like and by who we don’t want to be. This way of living is toxic
and exhausting. In her prayer journal, Flannery O’Connor wrote,
“I don’t want it to be fear that keeps me in church. I don’t want to be a coward, staying with You because I fear hell…I don’t want to fear to be out, I want to love to be in.”
So many times we live our lives running from things instead
of running to things. The difference is very real. Running away from things I
fear or dislike leads to a chaotic life with little or no direction. Conversely, running to something, the way O’Connor wants
to run toward God, gives direction and purpose to life. Live your life moving
forward with open eyes and an open heart, don’t live in reaction to everything
around you. You were made to embrace great and beautiful things.
Quotation from A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor
Photo Courtesy of Death To Stock Photo
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