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Happy Birthday Dad

December 11, 2010 by bjcorbin

Today is my forty-seventh birthday, and it’s been a good day.  Despite the issues I’m facing in this season on my life, I wouldn’t trade this birthday for any of the ones that came before it.  I’m blessed to have found my soul-mate and together we have four incredible kids, that I love with all of my heart.  We are rich in the things that truly matter.

We’ve been really busy today and I haven’t had much time for reflection, but just now my baby girl (Bekah) hugged me, wished me happy birthday and looked up toward heaven and said, “Happy Birthday Grandpa”.  I almost burst into tears at the realization that today would have been my father’s seventieth birthday. 

One of the great joys of my life was sharing a birthday with my dad and I’m ashamed to admit that I hadn’t thought about him today.  God knows I miss him and would have loved to have shared this day with him.  He was a fine man and incredibly patient with me; unfortunately, I was a kid who required a lot of that.  In honor of him, I wanted to re-post a tribute I wrote for him just before he passed away.  It’s probably not my best writing, but it was (and is) certainly the cry of my heart.  Happy Birthday Dad – I love you.

  

I Never Saw My Father Dunk a Basketball

I never saw my father dunk a basketball

and he never became a CEO

But I saw him live by what he believed

which showed me what was important for my life

*

I never saw my father hit a home run

and he never held a public office

But I saw him serve his wife, children, church, country…

which showed me that life was about something more than myself

*

I never saw my father make his first million

and we never lived in a mansion

 But I never knew what it was like to miss a meal

which showed me the difference between wants and needs

*

My father wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth

and he never won the lottery

But I saw my parents build a life for their family, with little or no help from anyone

which taught me that where you come from is no excuse

*

I never saw my father’s name in the headlines

and he never made it onto a highlight reel

But I watched him support others and be a team player

which showed me that secure people don’t need the spotlight

*

I never saw my father lift a weight

and he never made the Olympics

But I saw him be committed & work hard at every endeavor

which showed me that strength has more to do with character than muscle

*

I never saw my father receive his degree

and he was never deemed a Scholar

But I saw him lead his family through the good and bad times

which showed me that wisdom isn’t what you say, but how you live

*

I never saw my father paint a picture

and he never wrote a song

But I saw him cry & say “I Love You”

which let me know that it was OK for a man to do that

*

I never saw my father overpower anyone

and he wasn’t much for intimidation

But I saw him be patient when others struggled

which showed me that exposing others weaknesses, doesn’t make you strong

*

I never saw my father in the pulpit

and he wasn’t one to quote you scripture

But I saw him pray to God

which showed me that God was real & that I needed Him too

*

I never saw my father run a marathon

and he never climbed Mount Everest

But I saw him endure a cruel terminal illness with grace and perseverance

which taught me that you have to keep running until you cross the finish line

*

My father wasn’t above losing his temper

and I saw him take some missteps along the way

But I heard him say “I’m sorry” & watched him learn from his mistakes

which showed me the way I needed to handle my failures

*

My parents didn’t have a perfect marriage

and I can’t say that there was never a struggle

But I watched them stay together for 48 years

which taught me that love is like a garden & it requires regular tending

*

I have often disregarded my father’s advice

and I have many times made disappointing choices

But he never made me feel like a disappointment & loved me anyway

which taught me about the love & forgiveness of a father (& “Our Father”)

*

As I reflect on my father’s life, I realize that he was never what this world tells you that you “need” to be, but that he was in fact what God made him to be. If my father had been rich or famous, I doubt that I would have learned so much and I know that my life wouldn’t have been better. Reflecting on my father’s life shows me that I shouldn’t waste time worrying about what I’m not and what I don’t have; but to make the most of everything that I’ve been given. At the end of my life, I would be pleased if it could be said of me that, “he was a loving, committed husband, father, brother, son, friend…”; “you could always count on him”; “he loved God and tried to live for Him”; “he served his family, his church, his country…”; “he made a difference in my life”. I guess for me it would just be easier to say, “he was just like his father”. Yes, that would please me.

Posted in Personal, Tributes | 12 Comments »

Emmanuel

December 7, 2010 by bjcorbin

Throughout the Christmas season I repeatedly find myself drawn to the phrase, “Emmanuel, God with us”.  For me, it is amazing to ponder the reality of God, the Creator of the Universe, coming to earth and living as a man amongst His creation.  The heralding of the name “Emmanuel” reveals His motivation for coming; which was to be “with us”.  As joyous as that news was on the day of Christ’s birth, relatively few people actually experienced the reality of those words in His lifetime.  But ultimately, God didn’t just come to be “with us” for the thirty-three years of Jesus’ life.  In the scripture He says, “lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” and through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, He is “with us” even today.  There are some who seem to feel as though those followers, who walked with Jesus during His time on earth, had some distinct advantage over the rest of us; but scripture would seem to indicate otherwise.  During the years of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples often seemed confused and unsure of themselves.  It wasn’t until the day of Pentecost that they began to step into consistent truth and power.  Arguably the disciples accomplished more on that day, than in all of their days with Jesus.  Christ Himself told them that it would be better for them that He go, so that the Holy Spirit could come.  This is the same Holy Spirit that powered Jesus’ ministry and the same Spirit that is available to us today.

Before the manifestation of Jesus on the earth, those believing in Jehovah God could only look to the sky; hoping that He was up there and that He was pleased with them.  They clung to their lineages, their traditions and to the stories of what God had done for their ancestors.  It wasn’t a personal relationship, because they had no way of access to Him; and they largely looked upon their circumstances for evidence of how He viewed them.  The coming of the Messiah changed all of that.  Through His perfect sacrifice and by the gift of the Holy Spirit, Gods people need never live that way again; but sadly, many of us continue to exist in much the same way those ancient believers did.  We often live as though we lack some essential ingredient for the victorious life that Jesus attained for us; looking toward the sky and praying that He will send something more, when the very power of God dwells within us.  Just as it was then, we allow our sense of well-being to be dictated by our circumstances, instead of by the Word of God and/or the witness of His Spirit.  Now more than ever, it would seem that we are in desperate need of a greater revelation of “Emmanuel”, the God who is “with us”. 

For those who apprehend the truth of “Emmanuel”, the contrast is startling.  In the 3rd chapter of the book of Acts, Peter seemed to understand that while he didn’t have money to give the crippled man at the temple gate, what he did have was even better.  When that man was miraculously healed, Peter made it clear that it wasn’t him, but the power of God that dwelled within in him.  When difficult times came (e.g. disciples imprisoned, shipwrecked, snake bit, stoned…), the early believers often appealed to their Heavenly Advocate, who often responded with miraculous intervention.  The power of God was tangible to many of them and through those followers it became tangible to the world.  Those same resources have now been placed upon our door step, though many of us step over them on an almost daily basis; forsaking them for more tangible and less viable tools.  Maybe in this Christmas season, instead of organizing yet another boycott over the use of the phrase “Happy Holidays”, we’d be better served pursuing a fresh revelation of the phrase, “Emmanuel, God with us”.  After all, unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.

Posted in Christmas, Commentaries | 1 Comment »

Covetousness

December 2, 2010 by bjcorbin

            Recently, the Lord reminded me of some things that He’d impressed upon me years ago about “covetousness”.  At the time, I realized that I’d never really given it much thought.  I understood that to covet meant to have an inordinate desire for something (e.g. to lust or to crave) and that there is a commandment against coveting our neighbors’ wife and/or their goods.  But as I prayed, I began to sense that this is a much bigger issue than I’d previously recognized.  As I re-read the commandment, I recalled that it actually covered “anything that belongs to your neighbor” and I sensed God challenging me to take a fresh look at all of the commandments.  To some extent, I guess I’d believed that God commanded against coveting as a way of preventing us from falling into temptation for things like adultery, stealing or idolatry.  And while there may be some truth to that, I began to see that He really covered those issues with commandments of their own.  It seemed as though He was showing me that coveting isn’t just a problem if it leads to other sins, but that the act itself is destructive to our soul.  Undoubtedly, there are those who might want to quibble about where the line between simple desire and inappropriate desire should be drawn, but ultimately only God’s perception really matters. 

            The first step in coveting is simply to get focused on a particular object or person.  That may seem like a harmless thing and, by itself, it could be; but if we keep our eyes fixed on one thing for very long, we quite naturally begin to discern things, make judgments and have some sort of emotional response.  In those moments, a spiritual doorway often opens as well.  As members of a highly competitive and materialistic society, the things we find desirable are prone to quickly spur us toward covetousness.  Of course, we don’t call it that.  We tend to justify a lust for position and prestige as being “goal-oriented” or “career minded” or “ambitious”; cravings for a more extravagant lifestyle are generally passed off as “pursuing the American Dream”; while yearnings for the perfect relationship are characterized as, “looking for Mr or Mrs Right”.  To someone born into Western society, these things are simply natural features of the cultural landscape; but in the eyes of God, I suspect that they are little more than well dressed covetousness.  In truth, the constant craving for more (i.e. bigger, better, newer…) has become a trademark of our national character.  All forms of popular media consistently bombard the average person with images meant to titillate and stir our cravings; and it’s doubtful that any society has been more responsive to those promptings than ours.  We are encouraged to peek into our neighbors’ windows (e.g. reality shows) and to covet whatever we find of value (e.g. their stuff, their looks, their career, their mates, their children…).  Indeed the criterion for success in this culture is most often how we compare to other people.  We’ve kidded ourselves into believing that if we’re “just looking”, and not necessarily acting on the resultant feelings, we are somehow blameless; but Jesus tells a different story.  He said that to look upon a woman lustfully is to have committed adultery in our hearts.  While we might understand that principle in regards to sexual feelings, how often have we lusted after other people’s homes, relationships, lifestyles…  In the scripture, God groups all of these cravings into the same category of sin.

            As with all sin, covetousness short-circuits Gods plan to give us abundant life.  He wants us to find the extravagant provision that He’s made for us, while the enemy of our souls seeks to keep us connected to a sense of lack.  Since we don’t tend to covet what we already have, the act of coveting keeps us focused on what we don’t have.  Pursuit of those things generally blinds us to the blessings we already possess and becomes little more than a vain attempt to gain our lives.  It is Satan’s treadmill to have us waste the precious time and resources that we’ve been given chasing some elusive promise of fulfillment.  In those instances when we are successful in attaining the coveted object, we most often find that it is not nearly as satisfying as we’d hoped.  In these times the enemy generally begins to dangle “the next big thing” in front of us and soon we’re off and running again.  This picture is in stark contrast to the scripture.  The book of Hebrews tells us to keep our lives free of covetousness and to be content with whatever we have.  Paul also testified that he’d learned to be contented in all things.  This is the same freedom the Lord means for us.  We’re told that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of the other things will be added to us.  As with so many things, we in the church are often more conformed to the culture than to the word of God.  Sadly, the consumer mentality is rampant in the church and covetousness is a sin that is openly committed without repentance; even Pastors transparently covet other Pastor’s facilities, congregations and callings.  I sensed the Lord saying that covetousness has become so widely and openly accepted in the western church that it isn’t even really considered a sin anymore.  The Lord led me to Ezekiel 33, which says, “With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain (i.e. their heart goeth after their covetousness – KJV)”.  God goes on to tell the Prophet that, “Indeed to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice”. 

            The life that God ordained for us is one in which we are led by the promptings of His Spirit, not by our cravings.  It is not wrong to have goals, as long as those goals are established by God; it is not wrong to have a vision for your life, as long as that vision is given to you by God; it is not wrong to have ambition, as long as that ambition is rooted in fulfilling God’s will and purpose for your life.  Covetousness keeps us focused and bound to the things of this world, while God calls us to be focused on the eternal things.   It seeks to satisfy our soul through the feeding of our flesh (which is perishing), while God seeks to satisfy our soul through the feeding of our spirit (which is eternal). In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells them not only to refrain from covetousness, but to disassociate themselves from those who are.  He also includes covetousness, along side issues like homosexuality and adultery, on the list of things that will prevent a person from inheriting the Kingdom of God.  While it is unlikely that most congregations would tolerant blatant displays of sexual sin, how much more prevalent and apparent is covetousness within the church.  As I meditated on these things, I found myself praying as the Psalmist did, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain” (i.e. covetousness-KJV). “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word”.  Amen.

[NOTE:  It is worth mentioning that the word “covet” (coveting, covetous…) is translated many different ways and seems to be featured most prominently in the King James Version of the Bible.  For many of the passages that I referenced, I used that version of scripture.]

Posted in Commentaries | 1 Comment »

Thought for the Day – The Truth, the Life & the Way

November 29, 2010 by bjcorbin

The longer I live, the more I understand how essential the journey is toward achieving destiny.  Ultimately, the truth only comes to life along the way.

Posted in Commentaries, Thought for the Day / Quotes | 2 Comments »

Mary’s Song

November 24, 2010 by bjcorbin

In these days leading to our celebration of Christmas, I find myself drawn to the words of “Mary’s Song”, from the gospel of Luke (1:46-55).  Within this passage Mary is responding to her cousin Elizabeth’s extraordinary greeting as she exclaims, “my soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior”.  As I’ve meditated on those words, their profound nature has become more apparent to me.  I find myself wanting to understand exactly what it is to “magnify the Lord” and to truly abide in His joy.  While I’ve certainly walked with the Lord long enough to give a passable explanation of these things, I have to wonder if I’ve ever actually experienced them first hand. 

The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength and while few of us would consider ourselves to be deficient in the area of joy, how many of us have complained about our fatigue (e.g. stress, burn out, exhaustion…).  It is unlikely that we as Christians would describe ourselves as joyless, but that seems to be a common adjective used by Non-Christians to describe us.  I believe that part of this can be attributed to the fact that we generally mistake happiness for joy; but happiness is a fleeting emotion that is driven largely by circumstance and is easily changed.  Joy on the other hand is experienced in our spirit and is rooted in our response to God as opposed to our circumstances; this makes joy more profound, transcendent and sustaining.  Happiness is generally something we pursue, while joy is found in our surrender to Gods plan.  Mary had surrendered to God’s plan and the joy that she was experiencing caused her own cousin to view her in a totally different light.  Undoubtedly this would be the effect on our family, friends and neighbors if we similarly succumbed to the joy that the Lord has afforded us.

Arguably the concept of “magnifying” the Lord is even more vital than that of partaking of His joy.  The scripture tells us that our destiny is to be transformed into the image of Christ and that He is faithful to complete the good work that He has begun in us.  Based on these verses it would seem that the committed Christian should expect to grow more Christ-like with each passing year of their journey, but from my experience that is rarely true.  As I ponder the reasons for this, I wonder if this is even one of our goals and I shudder at the thought of what our souls are magnifying if it is not the Lord.  The idea of magnifying is that a clearer, more defined picture will emerge from our interaction and that begs the question of what picture is emerging from the worlds interaction with the church.  Jesus is the “light of the world” and He’s called us to reflect that light to a fallen world; but how will that ever be accomplished if His light cannot be seen in us.

Mary understood that something of heaven had been deposited within her and that Gods intent was not simply for her to enjoy the sensations of the baby in her womb or to bestow upon her honor amongst women; but that it was to bring forth that life when the time came.  The same is true of believers today, as the Lord has once again deposited Himself within us, not just for our own edification, but so that we will allow Him to come forth at His appointed times.  This Christmas I pray that His people everywhere will respond as Mary did when she told the angel, I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said.  I pray that we will truly magnify the Lord and genuinely rejoice in Him.  God bless you and your family this Christmas.

Posted in Christmas, Commentaries | Leave a Comment »

Giving Thanks

November 19, 2010 by bjcorbin

It’s amazing to realize that “Thanksgiving” is already upon us.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that while the days don’t pass any quicker, the months and years seem to fly by.  This year has moved by so rapidly that I feel as though I’ve missed much of it.  As we come into what ought to be a special season, I can already sense the dread that many people feel during this time of year.  On the surface it all seems bright and shiny, but in recent years I’ve begun to notice how few people really seem to enjoy it.  Though our calendars fill up with “special” activities, I don’t sense much “peace on earth”, “goodwill toward man” or “joy to the world”.  Even within the church, I don’t see a lot of genuine excitement at what should be, for Christians, a time of worship and celebration.

Sadly, we all tend to get caught up in the busyness (e.g. cooking, baking, shopping, holiday parties, traveling, guests, holiday programs…) and miss much of the richness this season has to offer.  While we’ll be the first to proclaim that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, He doesn’t always get a place of prominence in our holiday activities.  So as we launch into yet another holiday season, God put it on my heart to stop long enough to gain some perspective.

I believe that at the root of much of the seasonal angst is unfulfilled expectation; whether that comes in the form of past disappointments or the present dissatisfaction with where we find ourselves.  The inherently nostalgic quality of the season can often stir up more painful memories than warm thoughts.  Those who grew up in dysfunctional homes often come face to face with that dysfunction again, whether it is gathering with their families or intentionally avoiding the pain of such a reunion.  Those who are in the midst of difficult situations often feel more isolated in this time, because presumably everyone else is full of holiday cheer.  Those of limited means struggle, because we’ve all come to believe that Christmas cannot be complete unless it comes with boxes and ribbons.  Many of us wrestle with the notion that if we can’t give our kids what all the other kids have, we’ve somehow failed them.  For others, it can be the uncertainties of a new year that keep them from partaking of the joy set before them.  Ultimately, if we are dreading the holidays, we will almost certainly have a dreadful holiday season.  For those who are in the world, these are simply the seas which toss souls about; but what about the children of God?  Are these the forces that should be shaping our perspective?

If we could look at the reality of where we are today, apart from the disappointments of the past and our fears for the future, we might see that we are a genuinely blessed people.  Regardless of our situations, God has provided for us and continues to sustain us.  We may feel as though we have lack, but if we can see past what we don’t have, we will likely find that we have unnoticed abundance all around us.  The Psalmist spoke of how God wants to teach us of His ways and he beseeches that we not be like the horse or mule, which must be controlled using a bit and bridle.  That picture is one of needing to use pain as a way to get our attention.  I believe that if we will look for the blessings He’s laid aside for today, we will find them; if not, we often must suffer a painful lose before we can understand how truly blessed we were yesterday.

Do we really have to become homeless before we can be thankful for a warm house; even if it isn’t as big or as nice as we’d like.  Do we really have to lose someone we love before we can be thankful for the other people in our lives?  Do we really have to get sick before we can be thankful for our health?  Do we really have to become fugitives or prisoners before we can rejoice in our freedom?  Sadly, most of us tend not to appreciate what we have until we lose it, but this season offers us an opportunity to live differently.

Truthfully, this season was never really meant to be about us anyway.  We’ve unconsciously allowed the world’s thinking to distract us from the central issue, which is Jesus.  While some might regard that as rather obvious, I would guess that most of our holiday attitudes don’t reflect it.  When we talk about the sacrifice that Jesus made, we most often speak of the cross.  Rightfully so, but before His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus sacrificed His deity; not only to become a man, but to become a man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief.  He sacrificed His perfect fellowship with the Father to come to this earth as a sacrificial lamb.  He sacrificed the glory of heaven for a manger, the rejection of man and a cross.  Make no mistake; the sacrifice Jesus made at Christmas is no less profound than the one He made at Easter.  It was the day that our redemption was set in motion and it certainly warrants a seasons worth of rejoicing.

So as we step into this season, I feel the Lord challenging our motivations and asking what will drive us in this time.  Will it be the hurts and disappointment of seasons past; will it be the struggles that we’re facing today, or maybe our fears about what awaits us down the road.  Maybe it will be the vain hope that if we just find the right combination of songs & gifts & food & people & decorations, we’ll find the joy of the season.  I’d submit that the Lord would like this season to be a season of awe and wonder at the love of our Father in heaven; a season of gratitude for all that He is and all that He’s done for us; a season of renewed relationship with Him and those He’s brought around us.

Who knows what the New Year will bring, but as I stand here today, I am blessed and thankful.  He has given and done more than I ever deserved and more than I ever could have hoped for.  I pray that you and your family will find His joy and have a wonderful holiday season.  God bless you

Posted in Christmas, Commentaries, Opinions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Thought for the Day – Thinking Outside of the Box

November 17, 2010 by bjcorbin

“Thinking ‘outside of the box’ only becomes worthwhile when you find a way to fit your new ideas into the box, or a way to expand the box to accommodate those new ideas.  Simply ignoring the reality of the box amounts to little more than fantasizing.  Ultimately, there’s a world of difference between a man with ideas and a man with a plan.”

Posted in Opinions, Thought for the Day / Quotes | Leave a Comment »

Thought for the Day – Hearing God’s Voice

November 16, 2010 by bjcorbin

“I’ve come to believe that not only does God speak to us, but that He speaks in a way that we can understand.  I’ve also come to believe that the reason most of us feel as though we can’t recognize His voice is because He is so often saying things that we don’t want to hear.”

Posted in Opinions, Thought for the Day / Quotes | 1 Comment »

Little Princess

November 12, 2010 by bjcorbin

[For my precious daughter Rebekah]

 

Little princess, I was there

When the Maker of the Stars passed you down

 

It was His very hand that delivered you to me

Though I knew you would always be His

 

Precious girl, you had my heart

The very first time I looked into your eyes

 

Even then, I could see the strength He’d put in you

And I worried at what it might be for

 

Those early days were filled with smiles

And our borders were hedged in love

 

But now, as we’ve ventured outside of the gates

We’ve begun to find the cruelty of the road

 

I’ve seen them pulling at your crown

And I’ve noticed the frayed edges of your cloak

 

I thought I understood the meanness of the streets

But I can’t fathom their desire to crush you

 

I’ve caught the hounds gnawing at you in the night

And the hurt in your eyes stirs murder in my heart

 

But the truth is that your Father really is the King

And He’s not abandoned your defense to my paltry hands

 

He is with you, He is for you and He goes before you

He’s poured His strength into your heart

 

When the climb seems more than you can bear, look into His eyes

See that He’s given you a crown that can’t be taken from you

 

And when you need someone to remind you of your royalty

My arms will always be waiting for you

Posted in Free Verse / Poetry, Parenting / Family, Personal | 2 Comments »

Talking Politics with a 5th Grader

November 9, 2010 by bjcorbin

Last Wednesday morning (11/03/2010), as the results of the mid-term elections were announced on the car radio, I noticed that my 10 year old son was watching for my reaction.  Apparently my lack of response stirred his curiosity and we had a conversation that went something like this:

“Dad, are we Republicans or Democrats?” he asked.

“Neither,” I replied.

“Don’t you have to be one or the other?” he continued.

“No, you don’t have to be a member of a political party if you don’t want to be,” I said.

“Don’t you like any of them?” he said.

“I don’t like any of them enough to join them or to vote for their candidate’s every time.  None of them really represent what I believe in, so it’s better for me to look at every candidate and to decide which is the one I want to vote for,” I explained.

“What’s the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats?” he asked.

I had to smile at that question, as I answered, “It’s not always clear son.  Generally, Republicans feel like less government means more freedom, so they tend to want to limit how involved the government gets in the lives of the people; while Democrats tend to be more concerned about social issues and feel as though the government has a duty to get involved in the lives of the people.  As you can imagine, these differing ideas cause them to disagree a lot.”

“Which idea do you think is right?” he asked.

“Actually, I see value in both ideas.  Like the Republicans, I generally feel that less government is better; but like the Democrats, I feel like the government should provide some help for people who really need it.  It’s just a question of balancing those two ideas.  If we make the government too small, there may be people who won’t get the help that they genuinely need; and if we make it too big, it could start to interfere with our freedom and become difficult to pay for,” I replied. 

With a puzzled look on his face, he asked, “Doesn’t the government just print up the money it needs?”

I chuckled, as I said, “Well they do print the money, but the truth is that the people pay the bills for the government; if we want them to do more, than we have to be willing to pay more for it.  If you hear a candidate promise to do more, without the cost going up, you’ll know that they’re not being honest about it.”

“So since the Republicans won last night, do you think the government is going to get smaller now?” he continued.

“Unfortunately, that’s probably not how it’s going to work; because neither side is willing to work with the other.  It’s like when the kids in the neighborhood get together for a football game; both sides want to win so badly that the minute one team starts to get ahead, the other one takes their ball and goes home.  For that last couple of years the Democrats had enough people in office that they didn’t even need the Republicans to play; but now that it’s closer to even, I expect that they’ll spend a lot of time fighting with each other and trying to convince the people that the other side is the reason for their lack of progress.  The truth is that their lack of progress is really caused by their unwillingness to work together to address the problems.”

“All the guys on TV said that they were going to make jobs for everyone; won’t that make things better?” he asked.

“It would help, if they actually had the ability to keep that promise.  The problem is that they can’t.  The government doesn’t make jobs, business and industry do that.  Though they can spend some of the people’s money to give a few people some temporary jobs, they can’t create the kind of job it takes to raise a family on,” I said grimly.

“Why do they promise things that they know they can’t deliver?” he asked angrily.

“Sadly, because they know that people are really hurting for jobs and that it’s what they want to hear,” I replied.

“But haven’t the people figured out that they’re lying?” he said.

“I guess not; it seems like a lot of people are still expecting someone in the government to deliver the jobs they promised.  You see, the government was meant to serve the people in certain limited ways, but it was never meant to take care of the people.  Now that things are getting hard, a lot of people seem to want the government to take care of them and it wasn’t built to do that.  It would be like me hiring a maid and paying her to serve me.  The more I pay her, the more she’s willing to do.  But if I lost my job and I can’t pay her anymore, should I expect that she’s now going to take care of me for free until things get better?” I said.

Shaking his head, he said, “No way, if you don’t have any money, she probably won’t do anything for you.”

“That’s right, she’s my servant, not my mother; but there are a lot of people in America who seem to think that our servant (i.e. the government) ought to take care of them like a mother.  At this point, “We the People” can either decide to rise to our new challenges, like we have many times before in our history or we can keep crying out for more government help, which will eventually result in a government that we serve.  The reason America has done so well, for so long, is because its people have been willing to rise to new challenges and we’re once again in one of those times.  It’s up to the people, not the government, to do things differently,” I replied.

“So is this why you don’t seem very excited about this election?” he asked.

I smiled, as I replied, “That’s right son, my hope isn’t that the government is going to save me or our family.  If it was, I’d be miserable.  Our hope needs to be invested in better promises than the ones you’ve heard on TV.”

“So, should I even bother to vote when I get older?” he asked.

“Absolutely, you have been blessed to grow up in a country where the people have a voice in their government and as a citizen; you have a responsibility to participate in that process.  I don’t want you to think that it doesn’t matter, because even if the government is just a servant, it affects your life and the lives of people you care about.  You definitely need to take your rights as a citizen seriously, but don’t lose sight of the fact that the government can’t deliver peace and prosperity to your life.  Those things will depend on the choices that you make.”

At that moment, we drove up in front of the school and the conversation ended.

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