We awaken to the news, nothing new, not even the stress that comes with it. We are awakened to options not of our own choosing but urging us endlessly to choose sides, because it is no longer politically nor religiously acceptable to seek middle ground.

Both/and does not seem an option any longer, compromise or lack thereof, has entered the sandbox of our grown-up worlds. Faith has given way too often to our fears of this uncertain time. Faith has become a political operative. Choosing life is not limited to the unborn, nor to those who look like us or those whom we deem acceptable in our sight.

Hope has often become weakened in our times; it is only meaningful when my side wins. Hope is not limited to our desires alone, but to the whole of God’s creation. No one has ever earned the true gifts of God. In our human nature, we have all fallen short.

These times are evidence of that. Love is the answer but not love as we determine to exclude others or take it upon ourselves according to our prejudices.

We can let ourselves believe that God would choose our side, our way of deciding what He would want, but only through our relationship with Him alone can we come to these truths. Not that of our local self-righteous or political leaders as they seek to manipulate God’s will to meet their agendas.

A personal relationship to God is just that. Only then can we know His truth for the living of our lives/days.  We were given free will and it is in the context of that truth that we can know for ourselves what God is calling us to do. Theology and the practice of religion has grown and changed numerous times throughout the centuries since Christ came among us.

We can always seem to find a new or better way to be in relationship to God. But, the mystery of God does not always allow us to get it right each time we come to believe we have all the answers.

I am so grateful that God’s mystery means that I or we cannot know the answer to everything under heaven. I need God to be God in my life and to guide me even in matters many would believe we have all figured out.

Any views or opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.