Political Ambush, Mouthy Media, and What Sells Out a Nation

Catchy title, don't you think?

Unless you've been holed up somewhere, you saw on the news yesterday the reports of the deranged gunman who opened fire on a number of our law makers as they prepared to play a game of charity baseball. 

We can scratch our heads and debate all day long why something like this happened, but it boils down to a nation divided.  And, how did we get this way? One word...greed.

God warned us in His Word the destructive nature of power and money when He said, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Okay, so what do I mean by that?  What does God mean?  

Let's start at the top.  I have had the honor and privilege to meet and talk with many different kinds of people.  

Some are in circles way above my pay grade.   I've also met with and talked to those who are barely scraping by. 

I've walked in the hallowed halls of government buildings where the elite make decisions which affect us all; I've talked with many different types of media agencies; read thousands of viewpoints; I've stood near those who make the street corner their home, and this is what I've learned...people are people.  Whether they are operating on the high plain or down lo, they all have the same basic needs.  

Yet when greed takes over, the game changes.  

People become nasty and mean.  It's all about them, and they will squash anyone in their way. Greedy people or entities will lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to ensure their way succeeds.  

If you and I take time to read the news headlines, then we've already been sucked into a web of the greedy.  How can I say that?  Because it sells, and we feed it by reading it.  

It's a rare day that we read a story about a grandmother baking cookies for her local police department, or the single mom who donated a kidney to a stranger on the internet.  No, what we feast on is a deluge of greed and hate, backbiting and finger pointing - no one taking responsibility; no one stepping down and out of the spotlight in order to better society with inspiration and encouragement.

So, going back to yesterday's tragic event.  Who's to blame?  Is it the gun makers?  Could it be the President, or the police, or the Russians who happen to sneak in through someone's email and re-program this man's thinking?

No, the answer is one man's sinful choice to commit an unthinkable act, because of an insatiable hatred, driven by a never ending continuum of division, with an underlying by-product of greed.

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11)
 
It is my prayer that those who have the platforms and power to sway the tides of an ever-changing political, moral, and ethical climate, will wake up and set aside their wonder lust for more, and instead begin promoting a notion called "love" and "humbleness".  The outcome could be immeasurable.

Blessings,
Kristi