February 07, 2012

Missing You

In order to re-run for the upcoming City Council election I had to get 25 signatures on my petition. Naturally I asked many fellow believers to sign because they already know me personally. A friend of over 30 years half-jokingly said, “I don’t know if I want to sign your petition or not. I think you’ll understand this…what I really want is to have my friend back.” I do understand. Since getting into the political arena my area of influence has drastically changed. I no longer teach classes, attend multiple Bible studies or participate in women’s ministries and I do miss the former closeness of friends. I’m now thinking about the family and friends of Jesus as they watched Him leave his former life to begin His ministry. Even knowing Jesus was doing the will of the Father didn’t stop them from thinking, ‘We just want our friend back.’

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----A couple weeks ago a little law was legislated in Washington, all neatly tucked inside a bigger bill, like a sweet little child in bed. Now it seems like we’re going to be watching our backs a lot more, seeing the military can indefinitely detain anybody they choose without cause, without counsel. To think this was just one little law passed the way most little laws are is a tad scary itself. For it seems like there is always some big bill of major importance to our very ability to live and survive for tucking whole families of little laws neatly, sweetly inside. And if the thought of this law factory busily churning out communities of laws one after another, month after month, year after year to regulate, control, and even seize your life doesn’t cause a bit of anxiety, then the thought of fifty states and all their cities each and every one having little law factories of their own should scare the hell out of anyone who thinks more than two thoughts into a matter.
-----Then with the third thought comes something scarier yet. Aside from sweating the thousands of laws passed every year, the culture of the lawmakers we would be the wiser to fear. For to pass so many laws takes so much thinking, and thinking takes research and gabbing and reflection - all being time gluttons for sure. Then on and on and on this time taking must go, until the little lawmakers have little time left for the connections of the lives they left, let’s say, the normality the rest of us know. The very normality which will soon be legislated away by folks who’ve severed their connections with it for sake of the time they need to research and gab and reflect and think up new things to legislate.
-----It can not be denied that much of what any individual thinks and determines right or wrong or necessary or superfluous or needing to be required of others comes from cultural understandings. Cultural understandings are simply those thoughts and ideas and feelings which are passed around a group of people while relating more to one another than to others. It is why we send good people to Washington then ever after note what skunks they are. It is because they go there from a culture here to become slowly conformed to the culture, well, yah, there. Then they legislate from the culture there upon the culture here. That is why their legislation always seems to look like little bars on prison windows.
-----Now let me assure you, Gail, at least I think I am right: God is the keeper of time. He has plenty of it. What you’ve set yourself to do in public office is important to our way of life. But it won’t work to the benefit of our way of life unless you maintain culture with your friends more than with your legislators. Go back to your Bible studies, class teaching, women’s ministries, and your old friendships, then from there find time for legislation.

Love you all,
Steve Corey