Hello, dear friends. A substantial amount of time has passed since I last posted on this blog, and an equally substantial number of events have occurred in my life during that time. I published a book, met a pretty cool guy, moved a few times, married the guy, and moved once more when we bought a house together. Now, in a few months, we are expecting to welcome a baby girl into our lives. There are many things I could say about any one of these milestones, but as none of them are what prompted me to break a years-long blogging silence today, I shall save them for a future occasion.
We all know of what has transpired in our United States of America of late (and more specifically, in the last 24 hours). We all have a lot of thoughts and feelings about those things, thoughts and feelings that are surely as unique and varied as each individual soul. My own were tumbling down upon me with more than usual passion this morning, and I seized upon a pen and paper to record them. Now, I have decided to share them, not because the world really needs another person loudly and publicly voicing their opinions, but because the world can always use a bit more hope, and hope is the main thing I long to share.
Being somewhat uncomfortable and decidedly hungry (oh the woes of pregnancy), I rose this morning at an early hour. Before diving into the fridge, however, I could not help but peek at the news headlines, and my heart grew heavy. Hopefully I do not need to explain my personal political affiliations to explain why. To be honest, I don’t really have any political affiliations, and the heaviness would likely have settled in regardless of this election’s outcome. The reality of it, though, and the specificity, just hurt.
Suddenly, I found myself looking out at the world with a different perspective than I have done in past election years. Awaiting the arrival of your first child will do that to you, I guess. As new considerations flooded my mind, I began to weep, and to pray (more fretfully than faithfully) over the troubled state of the world my little girl is about to be born into, to grow up in. What kind of future is awaiting her?, I wondered. Will she know a nation of relative peace and stability, as her parents have? Will she be safe? The answers to these questions are unknowable to anyone but God.
A shift in my heart then led me towards concern and grief over the whole landscape of Christianity in America. So many professed believers, it seems to me, have sold out the teachings of Christ for the promise of worldly power and prominence. Don’t people read their Bibles?!, I have repeatedly asked myself. Don’t they realize what is says? That they’re giving in to the same temptation that Jesus resisted in Matthew 4??
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4v8-9
I can imagine words coming from our President elect’s mouth, almost as clearly as if he’d actually spoken them: “All these things I will give you, if you vote for me.”
I knew, this morning, that reading anything beyond the main headlines would be a mistake. Resisting the urge to check in on social media, I opted instead to turn where I wished everyone else would. While taking up God’s word was obviously a wiser decision than logging into Facebook, I must admit that I opened to Matthew’s gospel with intentions that were more self-righteous than not. I meant to comfort myself by reveling in the disbelief that others could be so blind, and probably congratulate myself on being above all that.
Thankfully, God is good. He did not let me get away with this, and instead did a work on my own eyes and heart. See, I’d been more focused on the temptation part of the story. I had forgotten my Lord’s response:
“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.’ ” Matthew 4v10
I was forced to acknowledge that perhaps I should be less concerned about the wider world my daughter is going to grow up in, and more about the example that I will be setting for her. I might congratulate myself for having not fallen prey to the temptation of political idolatry, but does it follow that I haven’t given myself over to other idols? Do I put the Lord my God first in my life every day? Do I serve him only? It would be pointless to try to claim that I do. I am as fallen as the rest of creation, with not the smallest scrap of righteousness to call my own. I fail on a daily basis, and am utterly reliant on the grace of Christ.
What I have ultimately realized today is that I cannot change the world for my little girl, or make it a better place for her. But I can work on my own heart. The home she is raised in will, God willing, do more to form her than the world outside of it. I pray it will be a home in which she sees love and grace play out daily. One where she will witness her parents putting Christ first. One where she will learn to love her neighbor, and love her Lord. I pray she will see the beauty and freedom that are found only in Him and learn to embrace it with her whole soul. If she has that, she will have everything. No election, no politician, no policy, no catastrophic event will ever unsettle her. For she will have received the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
This, now, is my hope and prayer for our daughter. Truly, this is my hope for all of us.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16v33
elizabeth kipps 