YOU Hold the Key!
Election Night in America felt like a semi-truck plowing through our home. By the next morning I wanted to ask if anyone had gotten the license plate number of the truck that had metaphorically hit our family. My teenager and pre-teen were sharing their concerns of recessions and Iran, yet still holding out hope the announcement of President Obama’s re-election would be reminiscent of the famously incorrect projection by the Chicago Tribune with the headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman”.
When I encountered friends throughout my day, the miseries of the previous night’s results were strongly evident and many of us had a heavy feeling in our hearts that felt as though it would never be lifted. As mothers we discussed the uncertainty of our children’s college aspirations and their hopes of future endeavors, some of which the President has openly discussed altering or has already began to decrease our student’s opportunities.
Disappointment and discouragement were the only adjectives we were able to express.
My personal prayers began Tuesday night and continued into the next day, for understanding of the re-election of President Obama. It was beyond my comprehension why God would allow the behaviors and decisions of the past four years to continue. Why were so many people still enamored by Socialist ideas and smaller topics that didn’t address the looming, over-arching problems our Nation is facing? Why were people so short sighted to perpetuate the chaos and insanity that is causing our nation to self-destruct?
Monica Crowley’s November 7th blog described what happened so well: “It is profoundly disturbing to watch a once-great power commit suicide in real time.”
You would hope, logically thinking people would realize what is happening. How we are killing our great nation and turning it into what so many people risked their lives to escape, from dictatorships and socialism. I was amazed at people who have come to our great nation to find economic and social freedom, running television ads this election cycle to share what is really happening and encourage us to make a change.
Yet so many didn’t listen to their voice of experience.
The sun has risen again in the eastern sky and the heaviness of disappointment and defeat is beginning to lift. Because I trust God and believe He is ultimately in control of things, I was reminded how God said: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”, Joshua 1:9. In these times where strength and courage are a necessity, we need to pull together with like-minded people to encourage and lift up one another. This is the time to pull out the yellow pads and white boards to work together and formulate ideas to share with Congress and spread positive, workable ideas to other Americans to make a difference. This is the time where we either give up or stand up. I want to stand up!
Think of all that is still good in our country. At this moment in time, my daughter’s high school has 3 alumni currently attending U.S military academies. Their hearts were pulled toward service to their country. Think of the many thousands of students who either enter the academies each year for college or enter the service after graduation, to serve their country.
Remembering these students brought hope to my heart. There are still so many who want to serve our country. So many young people who still believe in what our forefathers built. Think of the influence you alone have in teaching and influencing those around you to a more conservative, responsible way to manage our government.
Today’s youth need to have the conservative message shared with them. Not indoctrination, but education. We need to explain both sides of the proverbial coin to students. We need to share the results of each way of thinking, so they can begin to develop a true political intelligence. Show students how to research from primary, original sources of political and American history and learn the cause and effect of political behaviors.
Today’s high school students will have the opportunity to vote in the next Presidential election. Don’t leave their decisions to chance. This election my kids became much more observant of the political process and of the effects of wise and unwise political decisions by leadership. My husband and I took our kids with us to vote. When I asked my teenager, who will be able to vote in 2016, what going to the polls did for her, she said she appreciated seeing the process. She now knows what happens at a polling place, what a ballot looks like and how to fill it out. She is studying the Constitution and reading to prepare herself to be politically intelligent.
Two freshmen at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee shared their experience and thoughts about voting for the first time this year in this You Tube video.
I appreciated their openness in sharing the importance of voting because today’s youth need political mentoring.
Another great area to put our energies over the next two years, for mid-term elections and over the next four years, for the Presidential race, is with independent voters. We need to sit down with our family and friends who don’t want to be identified with either political party any longer. Talk to them about what they look for in leadership and encourage them to share their ideas with you.
There doesn’t need to be a “conversion” to a conservative way of thinking, but an education of facts. Encourage Independents to not simply go along with what the mainstream media reports; share sites and publications where Independents can broaden their political thinking. It blows me away that after weeks of discussions of the attack on our Consulate in Benghazi, there are STILL some people who don’t even know what happened that day. Help people become less dependent on the major networks and move to a variety of news outlets. People can’t see both sides of issues if they only get their information from one television source. If someone is an independent, they more than likely will look at both sides of an issue. There is hope in what seems to be America’s darkest days but there is a lot of work to be done!
Don’t let this political cycle leave you discouraged anymore. There are so many ways to move our country to a place of respect and prosperity, again. We need to brush ourselves off and be strong and courageous.
You can make a difference. You are the key.
