Why I'm Voting for Romney/Ryan (and why I'm not)

My husband and I just finished watching the vice-presidential political debate.  We watched the presidential one a couple weeks ago.  Watching these debates, and all the other political discussion and ads on TV lately, has reminded me of something: I am NOT voting for either candidate because I agree with them on everything.  Neither of the candidates has a plan with which I completely agree.

That's not a bad thing.  It's also to be expected.  As my dad says, "You're not voting for a person so much as you are for a platform."  The Republican party is one I can stand with on MOST things.  And I feel that after four years of disappointment in what President Obama has done, it's time for the other party to have a go, again, at running the country.

Paul Ryan proved why I like his platform in the debate this evening.  The moderator asked the VP candidates, "You are both Catholic--something that hasn't happened in a presidential race in a long time.  Based on your religion, what are your opinions on abortion?"

The Catholic church's stance on abortion is that it is wrong (because they believe that life begins at conception), with, as Ryan said, the exceptions of rape, incest, and threat to the mother's life.  That is also the stance of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and although I don't agree with it entirely, I can accept it.  Ryan pointed this out, and stated firmly once again his belief that life begins at conception.  He did not back down on this at all.

When posed with the same question, Biden also noted the Catholic church's stance, but that he believed every woman should have the opportunity to choose whether or not she wants to have an abortion.  It's not the government's right, he said, to deny women that opportunity--that right--to do what they want with their own bodies.

(Yes, I am paraphrasing what the men said.)

What I appreciated about Ryan was that he did not back down from saying that abortion is wrong, period.  He didn't contradict what his faith believes about the life of unborn children.  And he did say that yes, in a case of clear right and wrong, it IS the government's right to dictate what people can and can't do.  It's wrong to kill an adult person in cold blood except in cases of self-defense.  The government dictates that and has laws that uphold that.  Abortion should be no different.

So I am voting for Romney and Ryan because they uphold what I believe is right.  I think their plans regarding foreign policy, the war(s) on terrorism, nuclear weapons, and taxes in the US will do a lot of good and are the wisest decisions that the government can make right now.  I have confidence in their character, as much as I can considering they're politicians, and more importantly, I have confidence that God is in control, period, no matter who is in the White House.

That, finally, is what it all comes down to for me.  God is in charge.  Not the President of the United States, technically the most powerful person in the world.  Not the people of the United States who vote that President into office.  Not terrorists who murder those people of the United States.

God is in control.  I have full confidence in that.  No matter what happens politically, in relation to other countries, or to the economy, the fact that God's in charge will not ever change.  I know he will always take care of me.  I know that nothing that happens in the world can affect my eternal salvation.  And I know that God will always give me opportunities to stand up for my faith in him.

God himself does not need defending.  What we can do, and should do, as Christians is to speak up for what is right and denounce what is wrong.  We need to make clear what is of God and his Word and what is not.  That's what matters eternally--not the person who will be in the White House for the next four years.

Rely on God, my friends...not politicians.


P.S.  I'm glad to be writing again.  I've missed it, and I hope to write a little more often starting now.  Thanks to those of you who are still sticking with me!  You are a blessing.

Peacefulness and Thankfulness

All I hear is the gentle ticking of the clock.  It's a constant reminder of the one in my parents' living room: if I were to close my eyes, I could imagine myself there.

It's almost completely silent besides the clock this morning.  9:30 on a Sunday, I'm up, my husband is still asleep on the other side of the wall.  Curiously, I notice that I'm filled with an inner peace.  I've felt it before, but not for a while, or at least I haven't been aware of it for some time.  There's no worrying, no frustration, no distress.


Thank you God.

I'm content with my life, with who I am, with the way things are.  The silence makes me peaceful, too.  I know there are dishes in the sink and church clothes to decide on, but that's okay.  There's no rush this morning.

It's nice, this feeling that everything is all right with the world.  I don't always feel this way.  Sometimes the worry takes over, my imagination running wild with "what if"s.  And I destroy my own inner peace.  I know why.  It's because I try to figure everything out for myself, by myself.  I don't always have to understand the why's or how's.  This contentment that I feel?  It's a "peace that surpasses understanding."  The Holy Spirit doesn't think like I do.  He doesn't let worry get in his way.  He has the ability to snuff anxiety out like a tiny candle, and replace it with this gentle, comfortable, relaxing feeling--my breathing is even and slow, my features are relaxed, my stomach is knot-less, and no unhappy thought is filling my head.

This is what happens when I let God take control of my life.  Trying to do it myself never really works.  God's much better at handling my life than I am.  If only I could remember that all the time: give in to this sweet surrender, let Him take care of everything, every day.

Every morning could feel like this, with the Spirit filling my home and my heart.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

"Your beauty...should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth to God." -1 Peter 3:3a & 4