One of the first things I do every morning, even before I get out of bed, is check the news to discover if something good happened while I was asleep. I rarely find any such news. Just about all that is reported is crime, war, hatred, Democrats, Washington, D.C., California, New York City, the Middle East, Congress, China, Trump is Hitler, transgenderism, promiscuity and decadence, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. Every time I see a picture of Gavin Newsom, AOC, Nancy Pelosi, or Chuck Schumer, I want to puke. And since I’m only allowed 1,000 words for this article and want to say other things, I’ll leave it at that, and let the reader add to the list of barbaric and barfable objects as he/she wishes. But I don’t really wonder why I’m so cynical and have chronic depression.
However, this morning, I got a boost in the other direction. I received an email from a church I used to attend in Lubbock, Texas, and it spoke of a gospel (revival) meeting they were sponsoring next month. And it got me to thinking how I, too often, get caught up in the trap of always accentuating the negative and not seeing the positive. Folks, there are many, many good people out there, doing countless deeds of kindness, gentleness, and mercy every day. A few of them even have a (D) after their names. And my mind went in a different direction today; hence, this article.
Occasionally, I, and all of us, need to stop and think of the beauty of this world that God has created, and the blessings He showers down upon us every single day. The life-sustaining sun rises each day. And the rain frequently falls to grow the food we eat. I can stand on the balcony of my condo here in Thailand and literally see a sea teeming with life, and mountains overrun with magnificent flora and fauna. And how many countless acts of kindness are done every day by good people, deeds that are never reported by a media that seems to only want to depress us and destroy our country and faith in God.
I held a banana in my hand this morning, part of my breakfast, part of the grace of God toward me, part of one of at least three meals I intend to eat today—a blessing I too habitually take for granted and fail to appreciate. But there it is, ever-recurring. Even our “poor” people have so much food that so many of them are overweight and obese. Too many Americans have a very screwed-up view of this world, to say the least.
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We humans are far from perfect, of course. I’ve said and done so many rotten things in my life, so many things I’m ashamed of, so many things I wish to God I could take back. My own heart is my greatest enemy, not Democrats. And I’m not a “victim,” and will take responsibility for what I’ve done, be thankful there is a God in heaven Who forgives, and try, try, try to be better.
And I do know that this world, and my life, are both full of incomparable beauty and undeserved blessings. And that not everything on this earth is bad. Not everything is wrong with this existence. There is still a God in control, though I certainly do not know a gnat’s whisker of what He is doing or what His next great act will be. And I don’t have to know. I do know that God has blessed America, even if too many of our people have forgotten that they should bless (praise) Him in return. God HAS blessed America. And despite the existence of Democrats and RINOs, He has granted America blessings, privileges, and opportunities that abound and are incalculable. And there are people in America who do appreciate that, and who let Him work myriad acts of kindness and gentleness through them.
We’ve made a boo-boo by letting our media train us to, overwhelmingly, look at the bad and the evil. We mustn’t forget the good, too, the small acts of kindness that decent people perform each day. God can take a grain of sand and turn it into a mountain. We never know what He can, or will do, with a simple act of mercy or love.
So, if you are in or near Lubbock, Texas, April 17-19, attend that Bible revival meeting at the Southside Church of Christ. Forget about Newsom, Pelosi, Iran, Washington, the Democrats, and the media for a short time, and take time to be holy, and to give thanks to the God above for the unsearchable riches He has showered upon us. Appreciate the good. The grace of God still abounds. Jesus even died for Gavin Newsom and Democrats. Can you imagine how much better our country and world would be if they only believed and lived by that?
But their disbelief doesn’t change the beauty and magnificence of God’s world, or destroy the wonderful deeds good people do each day. And it never will. The Democrats, regardless of what they think, are not greater than the God Who created them (as humans, if not as a political party), and sends His sun and rain upon them as well.
My substacks are a little unique. Not just current events, but history, our Founding Fathers, what America was meant to be, and Biblical exegesis. Check them out. “Mark It Down! (mklewis929.substack.com) and “Mark It Down! Bible Substack” (mklbibless.substack.com). Both free. Follow me on X: @thailandmkl. Read my western novels, “Whitewater,” “River Bend,” “Return to River Bend,” and “Allie’s Dilemma,” all available on Amazon.
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