I was reading the news this morning as I always do. As you probably know, it was filled with the changes our president is making. 

I start every day in the same way.

I write 5 gratitudes from the previous day.

Then I write at least 3 things I want to accomplish today.

I write my intention to give all my fear and anxiety to God and let go of all negative memories.

And then I pray for each individual family member and friend. Specific prayers for whatever they are going through. I pray that those in positions of power or influence with evil or selfish intent would be removed from their positions. And that God would guide my hands as I work and my words when I speak.

I open my Bible and write a few verses from whatever book I’m studying. I have found that when I write things down, I remember them.

And then I check the local publications for what happened the day before.

As frustration and anger began to fill me over the changes taking place in our country something occurred to me.

Our president and his cronies are like misbehaving children in church. They are making lots of noise and distracting us with things that may be temporary and at the end of the day don’t matter. 

Yes, it is important to stay informed and support our leaders who have power to vote in the senate and congress against the hateful changes that are being made into law. But doesn’t that make us angry and take up a lot of energy? 

Anger won’t take away another person’s hate. It won’t lesson their power or change their mind. If anything, it will probably encourage them to continue, because they feed off those reactions. 

I had been thinking how sad and unfortunate it was that the inauguration took place on Martin Luther King Jr day. But was it? He showed us that focusing on the principles of God, that being peaceful and loving, could win over evil.

History is cyclical. We’ve been here before. We’ve had times of war. We’ve chosen American citizens of different nations and targeted them with our violence, anger, and hatred.(Jewish, Cambodian, Korean, Japanese ) We Caucasians are full of fear. Fear of other religions, skin color, political views, and different family models. This has happened from the time we invaded this land.

We have a history of seeing difference as a threat. We have forced others to speak our language rather than learning theirs. We shoved our religion upon them. We never took the time to talk to others with an open mind in order to learn what is important to them. What the basis of their beliefs are and what we can learn from them. 

In essence we don’t value anyone but ourselves. The focus of our society has been on self. On male dominance and a perverted sense of Christianity.

Why do I think our nation has perverted the idea of Christianity? Because the Christian religion is based on the life of Jesus. It is based on his words, example, death, and resurrection. You know he wasn’t a white man, right? All the paintings and artwork depicting Jesus as a handsome caucasian are ridiculous. He was born to a jewish woman in Israel. His hair was most likely black and his skin dark.

His friends and followers encouraged him to use his power against the Jewish leaders and Romans so he could rise to power and stop the rumors and hatred that were building against him.

But what did he do? He repeatedly told them to love their enemies and forgive those who acted against them. 

A thought came to me. Bullies crave attention. Our president is splashed across every aspect of the news every day. What if we all decide to ignore his bad behavior and only put him on social media when he does something good. I don’t know how to get the news media to do the same, but right now we are rewarding him big time.

I said above that the changes that are happening won’t matter at the end of the day, that might not make much sense to you. Yes, they are hateful and unconstitutional and our country wasn’t built on those principals. But what matters at the end of the day, at the end of our lives, is our own behavior. 

Do we get caught up in the fear, anger, and hatred or do we concentrate on being truthful, loving, compassionate, and understanding? Do we decide to educate or oppose? Do we dialog, seek information, or argue?

Do we offer sanctuary, encourage each other and speak, or do we hide and turn our backs on those who are vulnerable.

I believe that God cares what is happening. I believe that sometimes he allows us to learn from our mistakes. We are in a climate crisis of our own making. We are going to have four years of leadership with a selfish, fearful, and ignorant man. A great many people in this country decided they wanted him to change our world. 

I believe that God is willing to guide our behavior and show us how to survive these next four years. And that he will never turn his back on those who believe in him. 

So when I get caught up in the disheartening news, I intend to refocus on those things that are in my power. I intend to continue to begin my day with God, to remind myself to listen to his guidance as I work, and to ask for his strength to make brave decisions that support equality and quality of life for all people living within our borders.

This is OUR America. It was never white America or Christian America. We welcome everyone with love and support. When we all believe and work toward that, we can succeed.

How can your behavior work to support an America for all people?

Instead of anger and fear, I choose love.