Romans 15:7

Before church on Sunday I engaged in a brief discussion with a woman whom I hadn't met previously. Our conversation was very ordinary. I asked all the usual questions, "Where are you from? What brought you here? Early service or late?" And She asked me all the usual questions, "How long have you been here? What are you studying? Where do you work?" When I responded, "I work in Governor O'Malley's Press Office," she grimaced and said, "Oh we want Ehrlich to win don't we?" (For those of you who do not live in Maryland, Ehrlich is O'Malley's Republican challenger.)

I said no and she peered at me and said so judgmentally, "Well your a conservative aren't you?" as if I wasn't, I somehow didn't belong in the church, or any house of God for that matter. She looked at me as if I was helping the enemy. In this case--in this particular house of God--the enemy simply wasn't a man with opposing ideals or different solutions...he was the devil and depending on how I answered her question, I was his little minion of American destruction.

Usually I pride myself in my beliefs and strong stances on issues, but this lady looked at me with such disdain that it took a good amount of courage to tell her that no, I was in fact not a Conservative and yes, I was still sitting in what seemed apparently to be HER house of God.

She walked away without saying anything more to me. She never got the opportunity to know that I'm conservative on several issues. She will never know that I also have worked for a Republican Governor in Utah. She will never know that I am working in politics not to accumulate power, but to distribute it to those that have none. I'm working in politics not to implement my rules and customs, but to find the solutions to our largest problems whether they come from a Republican or Democratic ideal.

We may be a predominately Christian society but that does not mean that we must force our customs onto those who don't believe in their sanctity. If our country was predominantly Jewish would it be alright to construct a law outlawing the consumption of Pork? If we were a predominantly Muslim country would we be forced to fast during Ramadan?

I am a Democratic Lutheran and as part of the Christian population of America, I wish I could say with confidence that we are an accepting majority. Until we can learn to accept our differences--Liberal or conservative, Baptist or Catholic, Man or Woman, Latino or Native American--we will never be able to harness the strength of our diversity, the strength that the forefathers foresaw in creating a free and accepting nation.

Romans 15:7 Accept One Another, then, just as Christ has accepted you...

Where's the Sun?

The other day I realized that I am a person who participates in the same game over and over again, no matter how many times I fail. Unfortunately, I doubt if I am the only person who does this. We are all caught in a pattern of some kind: dating the same men, transferring to one job to another only to find out you have the same responsibilities, giving that friend another chance only to end in the same betrayal, following a daily routine we could do with our eyes shut...basically, continually making the same mistakes.

Why is it so hard to break these patterns even when we recognize them? Are we trying to hold onto a piece of our past because we're afraid of the unknown? Do we refuse to change directions because we can't accept defeat?

We are taught to never give up. If we accept the fact that something is wrong--that we don't like our job, that we fall in love with the wrong men, that we choose the wrong friends, that we can't seem to do anything outside our comfort zone--I think deep down a part of us feels as if we are giving up on the element we have pursued for so long. Is there ever a time to give up? If so, when? How long do we struggle before we decide it's not worth the fight.

I feel like I am in a grove of trees and they keep growing thicker and thicker. I crawl through the branches and cut down the weeds in front of me. I feel like any second I'm going to reach the other side; any second, and I'll be out. But it's been so long since I've seen the sun. Is it time to turn around and find a different way through? I think to myself, "I've struggled this far; it can't all be a waste of time...this path has to go somewhere."

I think the hope of reaching the other side keeps us from turning around. Maybe sometimes, going forward requires accepting defeat and starting over.