I\u2019m not ok with what\u2019s happening in Iran. And it\u2019s not just that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with how quickly we pick sides and how slowly we choose humility. I\u2019m also not ok with political partisans elevating themselves while denouncing all others, declaring \u201cwe\u2019re right\u201d but never asking \u201cwhat if we\u2019re not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with the fringe setting the tone. I\u2019m also not ok with calling it out on one side and excusing it on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with reckless rhetoric and behavior from leaders. I\u2019m not ok with Donald Trump saying a \u201cwhole civilization will die tonight.\u201d I\u2019m also not ok with Barack Obama\u2019s Iran nuclear deal if it contributed to today\u2019s instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with how much we spend abroad while problems persist at home. I\u2019m also not ok with pretending the world\u2019s problems are simple\u2014or that ignoring them makes them go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with a government that spends endlessly without a plan to become more fiscally responsible. I\u2019m also not ok with pretending only one side is responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m not ok with supercilious speech from any president or politician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with resisting basic ID requirements in voting. I\u2019m also not ok with assuming fraud whenever outcomes don\u2019t go our way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with illegal immigration. I\u2019m also not ok with demonizing ICE agents nor assuming all who cross the border illegally are demons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with treating abortion as a blas\u00e9 form of birth control. I\u2019m also not ok with a lack of compassion for those facing unwanted pregnancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with refusing any limits on guns. I\u2019m also not ok with pretending the answer is taking them all away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with thinking humans can dictate gender. I\u2019m also not ok with demeaning any person of any gender, knowing all are made in the image of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with inflation squeezing families. I\u2019m also not ok with solutions that ignore either responsibility or compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with the rising cost of healthcare. I\u2019m also not ok with the logic that it can be fixed simply by taxing those who have more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with expecting nothing or caring nothing for people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with the worship of capitalism. I\u2019m also not ok with socialism and Marxism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with spin replacing honesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with how we treat each other online\u2014how easily we make judgments absent authentic conversation. I\u2019m also not ok with the belief that there\u2019s only one right way to think and that I\u2019ve somehow found it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not ok with omitting God. I\u2019m also not ok with looking down on those who do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us, no less, define then what \u201cI\u2019m not ok\u201d actually means\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not ok\u201d doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m angry at the world, at my wits\u2019 end nor near any proverbial breaking point. It means something doesn\u2019t sit right. It means I don\u2019t trust myself\u2014or any party, person, leader or system\u2014to have all the answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And maybe that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more I see what I\u2019m not ok with, it pushes me to trust God more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To trust that his wisdom is greater than mine. That his understanding is deeper than ours. That his way of calling us to treat one another\u2014with care, compassion and uncompromising respect\u2014is always the better way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a lot I\u2019m not ok with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that? Trusting God more than myself? Treating others as he calls us to?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m ok with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m not ok with what\u2019s happening in Iran. And it\u2019s not just that\u2026 I\u2019m not ok with how quickly we pick sides and how slowly we choose humility. I\u2019m also not ok with political partisans elevating themselves while denouncing all others, declaring \u201cwe\u2019re right\u201d but never asking \u201cwhat if we\u2019re not?\u201d I\u2019m not ok with … <\/p>\n