Faith: Psalm 37: 7-9 - To Thy Own Self Be True

Psalm 37: 7-9

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. 

Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. 

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! 

Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm. 

For the wicked will be destroyed, 

but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

I'm not a real political guy, in fact if it were not for college courses and assignments I would avoid the political arena at all cost.  This makes me me a hypocrite of sorts because I am a real religious guy and it is more than super annoying to me that we have a separation of church and state in our country.  While I agree with the First Amendment to the US Constitution's Article VI that specifies that 'no religious test shall ever be required' as a qualification to any office or public trust under the US, I do not believe that Thomas Jefferson's letter on January of 1802 addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, as published in the Massachusetts newspaper was meant to demolish prayer and faith in our public schools.  It was written that there was a hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world.  I have not studied the depth of what was written but it is obvious to me that it was taken out of context and as the years passed it has become one of the most poorly interpreted statements regarding the First Amendment.

The most recent debate I attended on campus regarding this issue took place shortly after the Newtown Connecticut Massacre that took the lives of six adult educators and twenty first grade students.  The reason our discussion became a debate was due to several of us wondering what the final moments of those casualties might have consisted of.  Our Journalism class gathers each morning and begins with a short prayer and a recap of our days work.  We found it very sad that these kids may not have had that opportunity because there are very few schools left that allow those that wish to honor the American Flag and include the thought of God leading our nation into unity where we are all equal and nothing separates us from one another.

Not the color of our skin, the size of our bank account, or the shape of our bodies.  Not the clothes we wear, the color of our hair, or the religion we choose to praise.  We are all equal in God's eyes and we should all be looked at as equals under the flag that flies over our heads.  We sure do not treat each other as such though.

We tend to sit in judgement of each other.  Who has what and how much and how can we obtain that and even more.  We become critical of our fellow brothers in sisters when they have things we do not have, when they are better off financially then we are, when they seem to have things handed to them easily or seem to live on easy street.  We are sure they have not come by what they have honestly.  We are sure they lie, cheat and steal to obtain things we cannot afford.  We start comparing ourselves to them and become easily frustrated over the lifes we are living.  We get angry at them because of where we are in life.  We sometimes become enraged to the point of revenge.  We look at them as if they are living our dream life, as if they took it from underneath our feet.   We start treating them poorly and lose all sense of our kind nature turning to hatred.  We lash out at their character, criticize their life style, find fault with every breath they take.

Why is it we cannot be happy for the success other people experience?  Why can we not spend more time getting to know one another from the inside out before we feel the need to judge them for what we see.  We all have demons and we all struggle.  Just because we cannot see life from someone elses eyes does not mean we cannot look into their eyes and search for the person behind the exterior life.  Why are we so often so unhappy in our lives that we feel the need to rip the smiles off the faces and the joy from the heart of those who are confident and comfortable in the lives they lead?

“If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. 

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how 

other people should lead their lives,

 but none about his or her own.” - Paulo Coelho 

We accuse others of greed but when we criticize what they have because we do not, is that not also a form of greed?  When we criticize other for the assistance they receive because we do not, does that give us the right to judge them in the life they are living?  We sit in judgement of the life others live without taking into consideration what their life is like.  The hardships and struggles we have may be tenfold to those we come to judge. 

When did life become so complicated?  At what point in our own life did we become so bitter about what we do not have that we lash out at those who seem to have everything and more?  What is it about life that we believe we are treated unfairly?  When did we start sitting in judgement that is reserved for GOD to do only and stop being kind and patient and understanding to our fellow man?  When did we quit worrying about our own fate beyond a breath of life and settle for worrying about where others would go when that final breath is taken?

Yes, we should not promote and elect anyone based on their religious beliefs just as we should not promote and elect anyone based on their race, their looks, their gender, their wealth.  Yes, we should allow those that still believe in the power of prayer to openly worship and honor their God.  One nation under God, as that flag flies as free as we want to believe we are in a world that continues to limit our rights, in order to protect others in theirs.  

If you do one thing out of the ordinary with-in 24 hours of reading this blog, take a few minutes to evaluate your anger and rage over someone you feel is unjust in the way they choose to live their life.  Take a look at how you treat them, behind their back or to their face.  Ask yourself why you feel this way and how you can change YOUR attitude and life.  Figure out how you can change the things in your life to make you feel better about YOU and quit blaming others for what you do not have.  Judge yourself and leave the judgement of others up to God, because He will one day judge you based on your life, not the life someone else is living.  

Polonius:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

- Shakespeare