From the pastor…

I had a good run this morning, but I still felt anxious and uneasy afterward. I had listened for my entire Monday morning run to the CBS show Face the Nation, podcast version. Now, I have a lot going on this week, so there could be multiple reasons why this run did not relax me, as most do. Still, I think I was put on edge by hearing interviewed all but two of the seven candidates running for president.  

This presidential campaign season I am starting to wonder if I have let my interest get out of kilter. I am filling time in the car or on runs with endless pundits talking about this election, rather than listening to music or great storytelling shows like This American Life or Snap Judgment. My interest is not a civic virtue. I am not trying to decide on who to vote for in our own Ohio primary in March. I am transfixed at the spectacle of our brawling candidates. Like a traffic accident, I can’t seem to take my eyes off of it, hourly, daily, weekly.

I think it is hurting my spirit. There is wholeness in having balance in life. There is goodness in trying to see the world through eyes of faith, not Democratic or Republican eyes. I have enough information to be a good citizen of my country and cast my ballot. I need to move on now and fill my time better. Our lives can get distorted so easily by interests and passions that move us away from God rather than closer. This intense passion feels as though it might be distorting me.

How is your spirit doing? I hope you are filling this Lenten season with rituals, habits and interests that bring you closer to God’s hope for you, rather than further away. I hope the risen Christ is giving you eyes of faith to see the world. Pay attention this Lent to how you are feeling. Maybe, you need what I need, not to ignore the world, but to not the let world dominate our priorities or concerns.  Peace, Pastor Karl