Sunday, March 14, 2010

*Sigh*

I saw something disturbing this morning.

I think I do a decent job of keeping my political preferences low on the radar. I don't hide them, but I also don't shove them in other people's faces. I don't list them on the social networking site referred to by many RevGals as Spacehook. I don't want my politics to be a barrier to relationship with those who don't share my opinions.

Which is why I found it especially disturbing that a bumper sticker reading, "Yes! I want [last name of the person inaugurated on January 20, 2009] to fail!" was on a vehicle in my church parking lot.

It's one thing to see something like that in traffic. It's in poor taste no matter where it is, and no matter who you voted for. But I saw this sticker where my community of faith gathers. That's what disappoints me. As if we don't have enough barriers to people understanding that our God is a god of love, we have a message that flat-out wishes ill on someone who is trying to do his job.

And, in my opinion, if that person fails at his or her job, the entire country fails along with him or her. So if you agree with that bumper sticker, you're also wishing for my failure and your own.

When someone I don't like is holding political office, I grumble, but I also pray for the person in leadership. The decisions they must make involve factors that I have no idea even exist. That job is difficult beyond belief.

So, am I supposed to say anything? The owner of that truck and I have a long history of seeing the world in different ways. Yet we've been members of the same church for nearly a decade now. It's seems like it's getting more difficult, though. He hasn't been coming to worship very much, and I suspect it's because he disagrees with some people in leadership. I refuse to shut myself off like that. It's a choice I make, and it's not always an easy one, but God created us to love others.

Even when others are behaving in ways that embarrass us.

10 comments:

Michelle said...

Yuck. What a bummer. I hate seeing those kinds of stickers too. It's one thing to see the ones that say "I miss X" or "NO X" or whatever. But, to see one that actually wishes failure is pretty bad. And especially someone you know. And at a place you come to for peace and understanding and positive action. Bummer.

Unknown said...

This makes me glad to work at a church where most people have to park on the street!

RevAnne said...

I'm with Zorra. *sigh*
How people who profess to know a loving God could not sense that that kind of statement is a)not loving or kind, and 2) a turn-off to others is beyond me.

Cherrie (Mom of Jay and Dusty, the Rescued) said...

*Sigh* indeed. In these tough times, with people not having jobs or having to make choices about which bills to pay because they may lose their job, the last thing anyone should be wishing for is failure of our leaders. We need all the success we can get! Even if we feel the need to grumble now and then, we should be praying for them daily!

concretegodmother said...

wow. aren't we supposed to pray for our leaders (even the ones we don't like)? (and our enemies, if they really hate him enough to call him that?)

i guess that extends to us, too, though. i doubt saying anything to the bumper-sticker-driver would amount to anything, but you could certainly commit divine ambush by praying for said driver! :-D

Anonymous said...

well, for the person you mentioned, it's like one bumper sticker I saw that read "God loves you, but everybody else thinks your're an A##hole". that could be that one person.

Diane M. Roth said...

yuck. when I was in AZ, in a conversation with my sister, she asked at one point in the conversation, why can't people just be KIND? and disagree KINDLY? yeah.

Deb said...

Yikes.

I have a relative who sends us every piece of misinformation on the president that he can find. While his emails can go into my spam folder, there's no such place for him at the family get-togethers. (The SPAM table?)

I feel your pain.

Mary Beth said...

I have a relative like Deb's. It's painful.

Our Eucharistic liturgy actually calls for us to pray for the President and others in authority and I'm sure we are not alone.

V: We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations
of the world
R: That there may be justice and peace on the earth

This means to me that I am praying for Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad AND all the others.

revkjarla said...

oyyyy.
ugh.
What everbody else said.