Healthcare
I have been praying all day, and I continue to pray now that the Senate doesn’t pass the corrections package but I am losing hope for what I was once proud to call my country. Before explaining why I do not like or want this healthcare bill, I want to encourage others to read through the Book of Daniel in the Bible and look at the overarching theme. Regardless of what is going on at the surface level, we need to remember that God is in control. We also need to remember that if you are a Christ follower it is our job to pray. Prayer can make a difference, prayer can change God’s mind, look through the Old Testament as Moses and others would pray to keep God from killing off all of Israel. Have faith, and lift up your prayers to God.
Now, I am tired and frustrated, so I will only go into one reason I am against this healthcare bill. For the record I agree that our current healthcare needs to be reformed, costs made more affordable, and made more widely available for those who want it. This ties into one of the major problems I have with the bill, it REQUIRES most Americans to have healthcare. “For the first time, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused.” These words come from MSNBC a left leaning and Obama/Pelosi friendly news outlet. They try to make it sound good in their article, but the problem remains, they are requiring you to purchase healthcare, and will fine you if you don’t. I think that our current system needs to be reworked, but I do not think having the government run amuck is the right way to do it.
So, they are taking away my freedoms one at a time, something the National government should never have been able to do, because the states were supposed to be sovereign states with a unified nation government that was limited in scope and power. But if I choose as a healthy young male under the age of 30 to not pay 60+ dollars a month for coverage the Federal Government can fine me for not having health insurance?
I am frustrated, and upset right now. I will try to find time during this busy week to write a longer post on why I am against this healthcare bill, and to better explain myself, but for now I need to go sleep and get ready for a crazy busy week.
Matthew 5:37 – Plain Speech
This week, my study has lead me to do things a little differently. Instead of reading through a section of scripture, I have been wrestling with a single verse. The concept really stood out as I was going through “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster. In the book chapter 6 deals with the discipline of simplicity, and Foster’s eighth guiding principle for simplicity is to “obey Jesus’ instruction about plain, honest speech.” He references Matthew 5:37 and continues to explain how plain honest speech is uncommon in this day and age because we often fear what others think, and want the freedom that modern speech allows to change our “yes” for a “no”, or vice-versa. This got me thinking, ALOT. This whole chapter in Foster’s book was difficult for me to read at time, and I plan to write more on that at a later date, but this section stuck out because I have grown up with a tendency to embellish the truth.
I do not know when it started, or how it got out of control for me, but far too often I want to add to my story, or to a story I am telling to make me sound better, look cooler, be more important, or to seem to relate better to others. I say that I want to do this because the majority of the time that is all it is a thought. Those times where I do not keep myself from speaking out can be very difficult for me. I feel like a failure for speaking them, and then I worry about “what if they find out?” To overcome my desire to speak these half-truths, or embellished personal histories I am setting in place a single rule that will help keep me in check (I had to edit this because the first time I wrote this I wanted to write it as if I already did this). “If I tell someone something that did not happen, I need to apologies to them, and explain what I did, made something up, lied(embellish the truth or whatever other nicer label you want to put on it), and then I have to continue to talk to the person and honestly answer any questions they have. For the record, this is extremely embarrassing to think about having to do, let alone actually doing it. I think this rule will keep me better in check, if I am honest enough with myself and with those I talk with to do this.
I know some people will ask me why I am doing this, the best answer I can give you is that God has called me to let my “yes” be “yes” and my “no” be “no”, and I cannot do that if anything in between is a lie or fabrication. Also, I can be very frank and open about my thoughts and feelings with some friends, and I am happy to say that I have added the least amount in my conversations with them, but I need to be more open and honest with myself about what I am doing and why.
I have some friends who might read this post and wonder what I have told them is true and what is not. All I can say is that I promise nothing major I have told you is fabricated, and if I discover through talking with you that I have misinformed you about something I will let you know. You are people that are closer friends, and I am sorry for any hardship this might cause.
I know that I have some people in my life that may or may not read this post that will not care at all if I added details, or made myself look better when talking with them about life, they do it themselves, because "everyone does it". They will not care, and I am not worried about going back to right anything I have misinformed them about, but with God’s help and strength I will not do that in the future.
To those who are closest to me, or who I hope will eventually be very close to me, to you I want to right all miscommunications. They are not your fault, they are mine, mostly due to my own insecurity and desire to be “cooler” to you. From here out I have to ask a favor of you, help keep me honest. I plan to come clean with you, but it scares me and the idea of admitting I made up an event or conversation makes me queasy. I want to die of embarrassment that I would make up a stupid story when my life is full of so many great stories inspired and orchestrated by God.
That is the last part, realizing that by adding these details, and these fictitious encounters to my life’s history I am saying to God that I don’t think you have given me enough, you haven’t made my life interesting enough. That is not the case at all, but that is what I feel that I am doing. I do not know if this post will ever see the light of day, it very well may not, the idea of posting this and making it public scares me and makes me worry about having to be good on my vow to tell the truth or come clean.
P.S. I sit here over 24 hours since I originally wrote this post, while part of me doesn’t want to post this because I will have to answer questions about it,a far greater part of me realizes that I need to post this to be asked the tough questions. So, I have decided to post this and deal with the aftermath as it comes.
Tedward's Ramblings 