An Open Letter to Anyone Who Has Political Opinions About America

Well, we've made it through 2020, and we've started 2021. 

Needless to say, 2020 was quite the year. We have had COVID and all things related (it would take too long to go through them), we have had tragedies, almost had murder hornets, and, to top it off, this was one of the most incredibly politically charged years that I have ever experienced. The stakes were high in this election, and on both sides, Democrat and Republican, anger, hatred, and malice were spewed all over social media, in conversations, and by those who would, despite their actions, claim that "loving your neighbor as yourself" is the second great commandment given to us by Jesus (Matthew 22:36-40). 

Am I innocent of this over-obsession with politics? No. And it's sad. 

I'm not going to get too far into my own political opinions, but I have seen so much hate, both from the Right and the Left, by people who profess Christianity. Many of us seem to forget that, in the end, whatever president sits in the White House is the president who has been elected inside of God's supreme authority, power, and inside of God's sovereign plan -- even if we disagree with everything that a president or a candidate says, in the end, as long as we are not commanded to disobey God's commandments, all we can do is keep on living and trusting that God does, in fact, have a plan for The United States of America. It might seem messy, confusing, and upsetting to us, but the bottom line is that we aren't God, and we aren't in control. He is. 

So, to my friends on the Right side of the political pendulum swing:  Don't whine. Yes, express your beliefs, speak out for what you believe, but don't be sore losers. That's how elections work: someone wins, someone loses, and the process repeats every four years. Take a breath and go on with life.

To my friends on the Left side of the political pendulum swing:  Don't gloat. Yes, celebrate if you feel like it, be happy by all means, but don't be sore winners. This is how elections work: someone wins, someone loses, and the process repeats every four years. Take a breath and go on with life. 

And to all my Christian friends, wherever you lie on the political spectrum, remember God's response to Job. Job went through the worst terrors and trials and tragedies that we could imagine on our human scale. He experienced death and destruction, but was never outside of God's holy control of the universe. Job laments his experiences, seeming to ask God "why has this happened to me?" and in response, God speaks in Job chapters 38-41, asking Job if he controls and understands the world, has power of any type. His speech carries more power and might than any human being, asking Job why he thinks he has any right to question the Creator and Ordainer of all things. 

But I cannot do it justice. There is a song that came out several years ago called "Where Were You," which is a powerful summary of that speech and that moment in the book of Job. 

In the end, God is still in control, no matter if your political opinions are popular or not, if your party won the election or not. Take a few minutes to listen to this song. I included some excerpts from Job 38-40 below, but I would recommend reading all of chapters 38-42. (ESV Scripture taken from Bible Gateway)

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

³ Dress for action like a man;

    I will question you, and you make it known to me.

 

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

    Tell me, if you have understanding.

⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

    Or who stretched the line upon it?

⁶ On what were its bases sunk,

    or who laid its cornerstone,

⁷ when the morning stars sang together

    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

 

⁸ “Or who shut in the sea with doors

    when it burst out from the womb,

⁹ when I made clouds its garment

    and thick darkness its swaddling band,

¹⁰ and prescribed limits for it

    and set bars and doors,

¹¹ and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

    and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

 

¹² “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

    and caused the dawn to know its place,

¹³ that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,

    and the wicked be shaken out of it?

¹⁴ It is changed like clay under the seal,

    and its features stand out like a garment.

¹⁵ From the wicked their light is withheld,

    and their uplifted arm is broken.

 

¹⁶ “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,

    or walked in the recesses of the deep?

¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

    or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

¹⁸ Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

    Declare, if you know all this.

 

¹⁹ “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

    and where is the place of darkness,

²⁰ that you may take it to its territory

    and that you may discern the paths to its home?

²¹ You know, for you were born then,

    and the number of your days is great!

 

²² “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,

    or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

²³ which I have reserved for the time of trouble,

    for the day of battle and war?

²⁴ What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,

    or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

 

²⁵ “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain

    and a way for the thunderbolt,

²⁶ to bring rain on a land where no man is,

    on the desert in which there is no man,

²⁷ to satisfy the waste and desolate land,

    and to make the ground sprout with grass?

 

²⁸ “Has the rain a father,

    or who has begotten the drops of dew?

²⁹ From whose womb did the ice come forth,

    and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?

³⁰ The waters become hard like stone,

    and the face of the deep is frozen.

 

³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades

    or loose the cords of Orion?

³² Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,

    or can you guide the Bear with its children?

³³ Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

    Can you establish their rule on the earth?

 

³⁴ “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

    that a flood of waters may cover you?

³⁵ Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go

    and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

³⁶ Who has put wisdom in the inward parts

    or given understanding to the mind?

³⁷ Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

    Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

³⁸ when the dust runs into a mass

    and the clods stick fast together?

³⁹ “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,

    or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

⁴⁰ when they crouch in their dens

    or lie in wait in their thicket?

⁴¹ Who provides for the raven its prey,

    when its young ones cry to God for help,

    and wander about for lack of food?

.....

40 And the Lord said to Job:

² “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

    He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Knitting: a Rediscovered Hobby

 A long, long time ago, my grandmother taught me the very most basic knitting steps. She taught me how to knit a stitch, how to cast on, and how to bind off. With those skills, I knitted several washcloths, a couple of scarfs, and maybe a winter headband or two. 

In the past couple of months, my part-time job has gone away (don't worry, it'll come back...it's a COVID shutdown thing....), so I have had a lot of extra downtime on my hands! With that downtime, I have rekindled a love for knitting!! The very last day I worked, I picked up a few "how-to" guidebooks from the library, stopped at the crafts store for some yarn, and attempted to knit a hat. 

.....

That hat failed. 

However, after a few attempts, I made a slightly crooked, uneven cap, which was a bit small for me but fits my little brother perfectly! 

The very first hat...a little crooked and a bit small on me, but still quite functional!

From then on, I went into a knitting frenzy!!! I became more familiar with the craft store's yarn aisles than I ever thought I would be, and then my husband's coworker donated a great deal of high-quality yarn that she had no use for, which was MUCH appreciated! 

Anyhoo, this post is to share my knitting projects (most of which were Christmas presents) with you and ask if any other fellow knitters out there have favorite patterns or ideas they would like to share! :) 

The second thing I knitted was this red hat, which was done in about 4 hours and was super easy! (Sorry about the bad photo quality...my phone is not the best for pictures!) 

After that, I attempted a pair of hand warmers and a couple more hats...

I really like this classic black beanie...

And THEN it was time to attempt something new...I had learned knitting in the round, mastered the knit and purl and knit/purl combination stitches, but then I attempted learning how to cable knit, on this scarf for my mother and hat for my mother-in-law: 

Those were both fun challenges! It turns out that cable knit, while it can be time consuming, is not quite as difficult as it looks! 

Last but not least, I shall leave you with the last hat I made, and a picture of my yarn basket under our Christmas tree. It was a cozy, peaceful hobby, and I am very glad that I picked up the needles and yarn again. Here's to a New Year filled with more knitting projects!! :) 

I think this was my favorite hat...I really liked the pattern.