Excellent reply, one of your best!
I am in a wonderful Bible Study group, and this morning we were discussing Hebrews 4 and how it relates to the "rest" that God offers us, and our "leader" of this group discussed "rest" and what that means. He also tied it in to Matthew 11:28-30.
And it has to do with the freedom from worry and fear that haunts us in our Earthly lives.
And many of us have worry and fear. I believe we are in an existential point (plus and minus twenty years) where the long term survival of our nation is at stake. Even with its faults, I believe the United States of America with its ideas that serve as a beacon, still, to the rest of the world, is a force for good.
So I, and many of like mind of which I believe you two are, believe the preservation of this country is worth fighting for. So I am passionate about it, and for many years, I hav worried and have fear about its long term survival.
And many on this forum do too. We see it every day. The fear and worry, and the way it expresses itself in the dialogue and discourse here.
Some lash out at Trump and his administration in their fear and worry, and they post negative things day after day about this administration as if they want it to fail and collapse, and they want to pull the ruins down around them, as if they would find comfort in that. (Assuming they are simply not here from the "other" side, with that specific goal of causing ruin)
Some people become sullen and apathetic. The "I'm not going to vote" people, or the "Nothing is happening, this is all worthless. Both parties are the same" crowd.
I have been fighting the urge to simply respond to these people in the thread wherever I see this aggressive negativity or the doom and gloom with the digital equivalent a slap to the face and an admonition to "Snap out of it and get ahold of yourself!"
But that doesn't do anything except fan the flames of Fear and Worry even higher, and the discourse on my part becomes less civil to the point that instead of just fear and worry, it is a trifecta now, of Fear, Worry, and Anger.
And that isn't good.
So, I was in a thread, trying hard to control my urge to tell this person who started the thread (and those who piled in with negativity behind him) to grow a pair of testicles and fight, and not quite knowing what I can post that isn't simply going to throw gasoline on the fire of Fear and Worry, and turn into a conflagration of Fear, Worry, and Anger.
And KitJ posted this as I pondered and struggle what to write. Before I had decided and refreshed the page, I saw this post from KitJ:
And this post from KitJ simply turned on the light and exposed the dark room for me. I wasn't fearful anymore. I wasn't afraid anymore.
Have Faith. God is in control.
Sure. That seems so fundamental and obvious. And it had been sitting in front of me the whole time during this election. I didn't have Fear and Worry anymore, and as a result-I didn't need to have anger either.
And it made me realize that I believe. I do believe. In my journey to Christ, it was one of the first times I had empirical proof to myself that in my heart, that I do believe in Christ.
Because I realized for the first time that while I still feel passionately about the outcome of this election, that I don't possess the Fear and Worry that in the past, I had experienced.
Have Faith. God is in control.
God doesn't make mistakes. If we lose both the House and Senate...that will be God's plan...and God doesn't make mistakes. If that worst case scenario happens, I will do what I have done in every lost election in the past-dust myself off, and get on with Life.
But this time, with the "rest" that is described in Hebrews 4, I will get on with life without the Fear and Worry. Because I do believe that God is in control.
I had made that transition and had not even realized it.
So, thanks, KitJ.