Tuesday, October 31
Rock the VoteI have this thing about voting. I think everyone should.
There is so little in this country that I think we - as the citizens - have much control over, and voting is one of the few ways I believe that we realistically have a voice. And it drives me crazy when people don't vote.
Mike and I are still new to this area, so we're still figuring out the lay of the land, as it were, politically. Sunday, both of the papers we regularly receive ran extra sections about the upcoming elections and each of the candidates. As we read through them, we discussed who we each were planning to vote for in November.
When I was young, I remember my mom and dad sitting down before an election, and my dad telling Mom who she should vote for on election day. I never remember going with either of them to a polling place.
I don't really care at all if Mike and I vote for the same candidate (we're registered with different parties). What is important to me is that we each vote... that we encourage those around us to vote. And we always take the kids with us to vote. I want them to see that we value that particular freedom and that they should, too.
With Mike teaching journalism, we're pretty much assured of being caught up on the news of the day. And from what I can tell, it seems that too many people have confused justice with vengance, with retribution.
The kind of justice I think we all need is the kind that is fair, that treats each individual the way I would want to be treated. The Amish community could certainly responded to what happened in their school with the world's brand of justice. No one would have second-guessed that choice. But they didn't. They stood by their brand of justice which includes forgiveness.
I appreciate that their actions have reminded our world that God's brand of justice is matched with God's grace. I'm quite sure that I am counting on God's brand of justice, not man's, when my day of judgement arrives.
And so, as election day nears, I'm thinking a lot about the kind of justice I want to support and which candidates do the same. In the end, the moment we walk into the voting booth is the moment in which each of us has the ability to guide our country in these difficult times.
I don't care which brand of justice you choose. But decide for yourself what you feel and believe, and voice those opinions in the booth.
Go vote.
[ posted by Chel on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 ]
[ 1 comments ]
1 Comments:
We've taken the kids to the polling place before. We homeschool and there are four of them so you can imagine the looks we get when we walk in with all of them during the day in the middle of school hours lol.
I can't imagine being on opposite sides of the political fence with my hubby. I have very strong feelings about certain things and I'm thankful we agree ;o)
By 
, at
12:51 PM