By Doris Schroeder
The news is full of this year’s presidential election and with all the dealings going on , I thought it was time to put things in perspective and put it into a fairy-tale parable. See if you agree!
Many years ago, this fairy tale goes, two men ran for president of the U.S. One was called a Democrat and one a Republican. Both of them were happy to live in the United States and appreciated the freedom they had to say what they thought. They rode the trains around to different cities of our country and told the people what they would do if they were elected to the biggest office of the land. Some people liked one and voted for him. Others liked the other one and voted for their candidate. They voted for the one they thought would run our country the right way.
After the election the two candidates shook hands. The one who lost the election congratulated the winner. Almost all the people smiled at the one who won the election…after all, he was now the president of one of the greatest countries in the world and they respected him. That was the right thing to do.
Living in the land of the free was wonderful. If you worked hard, you could be almost anything you wanted to be. Sometimes you could even become president, and that was an honored profession.
But in the meantime, as the years passed, people began to feel smug about living in a land where they had the freedom to say what they wanted. Some of the people of the land thought, “Aha, I could take advantage of this freedom and make some extra money!”
They thought of ways they could get rich. They could make fun of the other party and then sell the others on their ideas. The ones in certain positions could pad the prices of the things they bought for the government and keep the difference. They could turn business deals over to their friends and then get a kick back. They could dig up dirt and make up stories about the other candidate and make sure the honest ones didn’t get in. Then they could give money to help the campaign of the one they liked, knowing that person would have to be nice back to them. They smiled at all the ways they could make money, not going on the Godly principles the U. S. was founded on.
At first, some of the citizens made remarks about what was happening and wondered about it. Whenever they did, however, the “want-to-be rich” would yell at them and make up stories about them. It seemed easier to just leave it alone and hope it would work itself out. After all, they were only one person, and everybody knows one person cannot do much.
The resulting campaigns got worse and worse. Candidates would take some little life happening and “simply suggest” that it was done for a different reason. For instance, one candidate had talked to someone once who was later found to be a communist. That certainly gave the possibility that the person was of like party and was not a shining American.
When a Christian became president, the other side made fun of any of his faults and misinterpreted everything he did and ridiculed him so that nothing he said made any sense. They splattered him with accusations.
The list went on and on until the body of voters were completely confused, and when November 4 came around, they decided not to vote at all. Of course, the ones who had caused the deceit turned out in droves and their candidate won.
Both parties, who had both been pure at one time,(at least partially) became filled with angry people, each wanting their own way. Then, whoever got into the office of the presidency, was obligated to the ones who had helped him get in. He had been robbed to run the country as he saw fit.
Gradually our great land became a country where American patriots no longer could abound. Patriotism was sneered at and people even made fun of God, the Creator. Prayer was taken out of the schools and Christians were mocked. Many did not even salute the flag. Everyone began to wonder “What will happen next?”
As one reflects about that question, can we find the answer? Where can it be found? Who can we go to who knows everything and can help us in this time of trial? Wasn’t there once a higher being whom everyone respected and our laws of the land were founded on? A book called the Bible where the answers are found for any and every thing that takes place. Yes, He is still available if we call on Him and give ourselves over to His care by accepting Him into our lives. Think on it!
Doris welcomes your thinking and can be reached at dorisschroeder@att. net
