Getting Down to Brass Tacks....

I don't need to watch the news - there's Facebook. I don't need to call my friends to see how they're doing - there's Facebook. I don't need to hear who broke up with whom or who's going on vacation this weekend - I can read it Facebook. Even though I choose to do all of the above things, mass loads of other information is always readily available on...you guessed it...Facebook.

I am always so tickled by the amount of information I see flowing over my news feed. Especially when there's a major national event. It’s the highlight of the news feed. Today's highlight was the Supreme Court Justice's ruling over the ObamaCare. Truthfully, I do not follow politics and so I had no idea the Court was voting. I only knew about it when I saw a disgruntled post about "liberties and freedoms going bye-bye". It may seem that way - but I think we forget what's really important. No Law - no man made law - is higher than that of the law of God. I am not a politician - I am a civil servant working 40 hours a week collecting a paycheck twice a month. I am not a law maker - I live my life by the morals and values with which I was raised. I am by no means the president - but I do recognize an authority higher than his.

People say our freedoms and liberties are being threatened - so it may seem, but I wonder how different the situation would be if it were our very lives being threatened. See, we live in a country where we complain that we have no money, our debt is through the roof (or the floor, whichever way you choose to look at it) and yet when walking around, it is hard to spot someone who does not have some sort of smart phone or tablet or otherwise expensive electronic device. Our nation also suffers from obesity which is, as I hear, now being viewed as a disease. I'm sorry but weight gain or loss is a simple math equation and you don’t have to be a math genius to figure it out. We, as a country, are by no means suffering from a lack of food or hunger. If we really look at the brass tacks of the situation, we don't really have it that bad. Compare it with a mother in Africa whose only concern is what her children will eat that week or that day - or the young girl who is pregnant because she was raped by a soldier. If we really get to the nitty gritty, we have no concept of life outside of our country. We can't see beyond our running water, electric outlets, flat screen TVs, smart phones and that awesome thing called Facebook which has so quickly consumed our social life.

We worry, we gripe we moan - I admit, I'm as bad as the rest of us. And we forget all the blessings we have been given. We forget from whom those blessings come. We think the world is ending because law makers in DC passed a mandate that we oppose vehemently. So I ask you - in the grand scheme of things, what does it matter? Will you have food on the table this evening? I'm not referring to 2014 when this law will go into place and you'll have to pay more for health insurance - because it's not 2014. It's 2012 - let's deal with today first before we get to tomorrow. So I ask again - will you have food on the table this evening? Will you have AC in your house while it's record breaking heat outside. Will you have a car to get you to and from your destinations? Will you have a paycheck posted to your account in the next two weeks? Is your family well and healthy? Maybe not all of these questions can be answered with a "Yes" but that's not the point. There are only a few things that REALLY truly matter in this life and as Americans we have them in abundance. I just wish that we as a nation could take our eyes off ourselves, stop focusing on what we don't have and instead be thankful for what we do have. Because it could be gone in an instant. There's so much more I could add to this but I shall not. These are simply my ramblings and I will end the thought flow there. One last thought. I remember driving home from a graduation and my sister was in my car. We were driving in a not-so-reliable car, in a torrential down pour and lightening storm. We were both scared stiff. So we turned this song on and sang it as loud as we could, above the noise of the storm. The words that have stuck with me since then (6 years later) are: "God is in Control. We believe that His children will not be forsaken, God is in control. There is no power above or beside Him, we know. God is in control."

So the next time something that seems to shake the very foundations of Facebook with posts, pictures, rants, raves etc... what are you going to do? Follow the crowd and post a status? Or remember that God is in control?

God is in Control - Twila Paris

This is no time for fear

This is a time for faith and determination

Don't lose the vision here

Carried away by emotion

Hold on to all that you hide in your heart

There is one thing that has always been true

It holds the world together

God is in control

We believe that His children will not be forsaken

God is in control

We will choose to remember and never be shaken

There is no power above or beside Him, we know

God is in control, oh God is in control

History marches on

There is a bottom line drawn across the ages

Culture can make its plan

Oh, but the line never changes

No matter how the deception may fly

There is one thing that has always been true

It will be true forever

He has never let you down

Why start to worry now?

He is still the Lord of all we see

And He is still the loving Father

Watching over you and me