For the Love of Politics

Politics.

It is a presidential election year and all the newscasts on all the media outlets are filled with political stories. Polls and predictions prevail over most other news. Even if another topic is given precious air time minutes or coveted print inches, some author, editor or producer will make sure whatever "it" is will be tied back into the political scene.

The talking heads fascinate me. With their perfectly coiffed hair styles and their designer duds, they pontificate over what the various politicians said or didn't say or how they said whatever it was that they said they said or didn't say.... Sigh.

Being that Tennessee is not a hotly contested state, we do not have to suffer through too many ads approved by the committee selected to elect so-and-so or what's-his-name, and for that, I'm thankful.

After about 10 minutes of the reporting or debating or discussing or whatever it is they're doing, I've had enough and I gladly hand the remote to my daughters so they can watch a rerun on Disney Junior.

As ministers' wives, we understand politics.

We understand the importance of keeping a certain deacon's wife happy or how necessary it can be to sway the opinion of this committee or that leadership team. It is easy to fall into the trap of pandering to or appeasing various attendees or members.

Our husbands have God-given visions for the church, yet a bill, or Supreme Court Justice Nominee, might be more easily approved through Congress before our man can make a simple first step in the direction God has called our church to go.

It is easy and understandable to want to turnover the remote and leave the politics behind. Many younger attendees of our churches and young seminary graduates are leaving our established churches to find places to serve and worship that are a lot less "political."

I don't blame them, but many of us are still called to SERVE these churches drenched in the traditions of politics. So how do we do it?

Love.

"Love BEARS all things, BELIEVES all things, HOPES all things, ENDURES all things." 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV (emphasis mine)

Through the love of God we can bear, believe, hope and endure through the ebb and flow of the political season - and the meaning there goes far deeper than which Democrat or Republican is ahead in the polls.....