I Agree, President Obama

I am not a "politics" girl.

I am admittedly way more uninformed than one should be.

I don't watch NBC, ABC, CNN, or FOX News. I'd rather watch Project Runway or anything on E.

I do not vote in every election.

I am not someone who places a great deal of faith in politicians. They gag me with their egos, agendas, lies, and schemes.

Also, I really like to stay away from inflammatory issues because there are many Christians who do not heed the "clanging gong" advice in the Bible and give non-believers more ammunition and reason to continue being non-believers.

The clanging-gongers tend to be very vocal, very quick to forward completely false information about their political opponent (without checking on snopes.com, for the LOVE!), and enjoy tearing apart anyone with a conflicting viewpoint.

President Obama was quoted recently as saying, "look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It
must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something
-- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create
this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.
Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t
build that. Somebody else made that happen."

And people proceeded to flip out. Like crazy. People climbed up on soapboxes and pontificated on their hard work and achievements. And I have to say, I am with president Obama on this one.

I am always disgusted with entitlement. I am disgusted with the entitlement I see in students today, with people I encounter in the world, with church members, with members of my own family, and within my own heart.

There was a man long ago who worked hard, a self starter some would say. And God looked upon him with favor, blessed his endeavors. And then God allowed it to be taken away. You see- it all belonged to God in the first place. Everything that you and I possess belongs to God and He is kind enough to share it with you. And this man understood this. He was devastated obviously, but Job understood that it is the Lord who gives and takes away, and He blessed the name of God and was restored for his faithfulness, not because he was entitled and because God owed him anything.

I think about this. God allowed me to be born with some of the following advantages to success: female. white. American. middle class. in the 1980's. to married parents. protestant. healthy. developmentally, physically, and mentally normal. not handicapped. not deformed.

Because of some of these simple things, my life and my potential has been easier to improve and develop than someone who was born, say: Jewish. female. Polish. Learning disabled. Born in the 1930's. Not so easy to find safety and success when a crazed dictator wants to wipe out your whole ethnicity and use eugenics to eliminate you.

or: Black. Male. Albino. Tanzania. Present Day. It's probably hard to worry about building a business when you are worried that bounty hunters are going to hack you up and sell you to a witch doctor since your blood is believed to be magical.

perhaps: Female. Indian. Calcutta. Orphaned. with AIDS. Again, if you are sick and forced in to prostitution, I am guessing that a college education won't be a realistic goal for you.

Do you not see that God placed you where you are, with the parents you have, with the physically features, mental capacity, and able body you have. You did not choose that. And there is not a thing you did to make it so. Grace placed you where you were, and it was so.

I may scream if I see or hear another person complain about this quote. Everything you are and everything you have belongs to God. Praise Him and thank him everyday that He has been so generous to give it to you. God does not owe you 6 figures a year because you tithe. God does not owe you good health even if you work hard to stay healthy. God does not owe you safety just because you purchase a house in a gated community.

But because He loves you more than I can ever tell you He gives you grace, and mercy, and forgiveness, and gives you more "stuff" than you deserve. You are not self made. You are made int the likeness of a creator who wants to know you, and wants you to recognize that all you have is His, and when you give it back to Him, He'll bless you many times over, just like he did Job.

Entitlement is gross. And President Obama got this one right.

I will now resume my politics free life and avoid watching election coverage until December, when there will be a whole new crop of things for people to complain about and feel entitled to.

I Don't Get It...

Things I honestly don't get:

1) Why in the heck are people so shocked by Hollywood divorces? I mean seriously? Two people who have already had multiple marriages, have a reputation for being unfaithful, and make their career their god- and it is shocking when it doesn't work? I don't get it.

2) This might be mean- but I am AMAZED at the people who use their facebook status to dole out wisdom to the masses. As a person who admits to being a mess I don't feel the need to spout wisdom for those who might be more messed up than me. If you are a psycho I really don't feel like taking marriage or parenting advice via your facebook status.

3) "Re-post this as your status if..." No offense if you indulge in some occasional re-posting but it drives me nuts. I love Jesus and soldiers and animals and my friends/parents/brother/uncle. I hate child abuse and social injustice. I do have the guts to re-post things but I hope more than that I have the guts to live it out in my real life.

4) People asking questions that only pertain to them in a public forum. Ask in private!

5) Kidz Bop. Raise your hand if you think Lady Gaga is kid appropriate music? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

6) How men can't see things in plain sight. My husband and son suffer from this affliction. I can point at an item, describe it's location and they still can't see it! My mom used to joke that her uterus was a tracking device. Sometimes I think she was right.

7) Why why why why does Christian culture love "Marvelous Light" so much? I don't get it. Not a music critic so I will stop there.

8 REST IN PEACE. RIP? I hate hate hate this term and I hate the abbreviation even more. I have used it jokingly. Like in reference to my pre-baby body and silly things like that. But if I am dead I want to be dancing in the presence of my king! I don't want to be resting peacefully in my body that is worm food. When I die- please don't "RIP" me.

9) I don't get why I didn't call this blog post "stuff that bugs me". Were you wondering the same thing?

10) Christmas Fruit Cakes- Have you ever eaten one? Have you ever seen anyone eat one? I've seen them in the stores. But do people buy them? Are they useful other than as a gag gift? I would not eat one unless I was starving. And even then I may resort to cannibalism first.