Rant With a Purpose

Every so often,

something will rise up so strongly within me

that it's impossible for me

to remain silent.

This is one of those times.

The "Christian Conservative" response

to the election results has been

heart-wrenchingly appalling.

If we would

put as much time, energy and effort

into helping our neighbors in need

as we did in screaming at them 

to go out and vote

and

as we do in

demonizing people, 

blaming the government for all of our problems

and griping about everything else,

I am certain we would actually

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

in each other's lives

and bring about real change.

One day a few weeks ago,

I took our last thirty something dollars

to the grocery store and purchased

some "staples";

milk, eggs, bread, etc.

The things I purchased needed to last

us for about ten days.

The next morning,

as I opened the refrigerator

to make my husband's breakfast

and lunch,

Holy Spirit said,

"(Someone) needs half of what you purchased yesterday."

So, I contacted that family 

and asked if they needed some bread, milk and eggs.

The response was a resounding,  "YES!"

They were out of money,

out of food 

AND 

they were having mechanical problems

with their vehicle.

I took the food to them that same afternoon.

A day or two later,

I woke up with the weight of the knowledge that

my husband was going to need gas for his vehicle

that evening if he was going to make it home.

 I whispered my request to God,

said, "I trust You Jesus,"

and went about my day.

That evening,

about thirty minutes before my husband was

to leave work,

a friend handed me fifty dollars and said,

"The Lord said you need gas money," 

I was able to deposit it into the bank

just in time for my husband to go and get gas.

A couple of days after that,

I was handed one hundred dollars

with the comment,

"Obedience is rewarded."

At first,

I had no idea what the comment meant.

Then the giver looked at me and said,

"As you help others, you'll be helped as well." 

WOW!

I hadn't given a second thought

to the fact that I had shared our food

with another family.

It was simply the right thing to do.

No, my response to Holy Spirit

had not solved all of their problems

(or mine),

but my obedience did allow

for both of our families 

to eat for a couple of days.

And yes,

it appeared to take away 

from my own family's provisions,

but I am certain

that if I had chosen

to ignore what

Holy Spirit said to me,

I would have missed out

on the other blessings He had for us.

What kind of people are we

that we would allow our fellow 

countrymen,

our neighbors,

our friends,

our families

to go hungry

simply because 

of harsh judgments,

 selfish ambitions,

and

self-righteous attitudes?

If 

"Christian Conservatism"

is the face of

 "Christianity",

I certainly want nothing to do with it!

Lord help us!