POLITICS DEMANDS INVOLVEMENT
For many, politics is a dirty word,
Of dishonesty and power absurd.
Misused and twisted, self-interest reigns,
Propaganda spreads and truth refrains.
The temptation to avoid it is strong,
To disengage, and to avoid the wrong.
But politics, despite all its sin,
Demands involvement, so we must dig in.
No Christian can afford to hide,
Community needs us to decide.
For without politics, we’re left alone,
Victims of fate, we’re on paths unknown.
Effective politics forms the heart,
Of every community’s vital part.
It provides structures that protect and guide,
So that we can all live side by side.
Community depends on this,
A shaped future, not hit or miss.
To gather, celebrate, and educate,
Politics always steers our common fate.
By Medard Laz
My Commentary:
For many people, politics has become a dirty word. We associate it with dishonesty, corruption, broken promises, and the endless struggle for power. We grow weary of the arguments, the accusations, and the manipulation of truth.
And so we are tempted to walk away.
But Christians cannot afford to abandon politics simply because politics has become ugly.
Politics, at its best, is about something beautiful: the common good.
Picture an 84-year-old widow named Mary. Her husband died six years ago. They worked hard all their lives, raised three children, paid their taxes, and never imagined they would have to worry about having enough money to survive.
Every month, Mary sits at her kitchen table with her Social Security check, a stack of bills, and a little calculator. The rent has gone up. Groceries cost more. So does her medication.
Last Tuesday, she stood in the pharmacy holding a prescription for her heart medication. When the pharmacist told her the price, she quietly asked, “Would it hurt if I skipped a few days?” That evening, she ate a bowl of cereal for dinner.
Mary doesn’t follow political debates. She doesn’t care which politician wins an argument on television. She just wants to know whether she’ll have enough money to live another month.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, elected officials debate healthcare costs, Social Security, taxes, and government spending. For them, these may be numbers on a spreadsheet. For Mary, they are the difference between filling her prescription and filling her refrigerator. Suddenly, politics isn’t so abstract anymore.
Jesus never ran for public office, but He cared deeply about people like Mary. He defended the forgotten, challenged the powerful, and reminded us that whatever we do for the least among us, we do for Him.
Our Christian faith does not tell us which political party to join. It tells us something far more important: Love your neighbor. And sometimes loving our neighbor means becoming involved in decisions that affect our neighbor’s life.
We may disagree about political solutions, but we must never become indifferent to human suffering. Politics without morality becomes a struggle for power. Faith without concern for others becomes an empty promise.
When we stand before God, He will not ask whether we were Republicans or Democrats.
God will simply ask: “When Mary had to choose between food and medicine, what did YOU do?”
Politics, at its best, is about something beautiful: the common good. Do YOU think this statement is True or False. If True, how does it then need to be lived out?
GOD ANSWERS KNEE-MAIL!
