Easter Reminds Me How Fortunate We Are
On Easter Sunday I was honored to welcome hundreds of people to our two services at Velocity Christian Church. At the same time, 9000 miles away, hundreds of people were mourning the loss of nearly 300 lives taken in eight cowardly bombings in Christian churches and hotels. As we celebrated the resurrection of the risen Christ, loved ones dealt with the harsh reality of a broken world.
It gave me time to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy. The relative safety we often take for granted. Even with all the current division, we live in the best country on the earth. That doesn’t come easily. Men and women have paid the ultimate price to allow us free speech, freedom of assembly and the right to worship. Men and women are currently in harm’s way, ensuring those freedoms exist for ALL Americans. Not red Americans or blue Americans…ALL Americans.
As the weeks fly by, I find myself enjoying this process running for local office more and more. I’ve had daily conversations with people that challenge me in ways I didn’t realize they would. I am learning about issues I didn’t know were issues but, for which, I hope to soon help provide solutions. The days are long…last week I wasn’t “done” before 9:00 PM any night of the week, but they are also so interesting that the time just flies by.
It is not lost on me how amazing it is, that probably only in America can someone like me do something like this. I am grateful for those who help to make this process a reality. You don’t have to look far beyond our own boarders to see that freedom isn’t easy. Most don’t get it right. And let’s be honest, we don’t always get it right either. But as someone going through the process I can really see that for the most part people have good intentions. We may disagree and that’s ok. Our foundation is strong enough to deal with disagreements. I’ll sign off with this:
“To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every 4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.” Ronald Reagan from his first inaugural address.