Joy and Politics

 

The United States Presidential Election of 2020 is past.

Sort of.

Votes are still being tallied and lawsuits filed.  Emotions are running hotter than ever.

For some reason, a stanza from the poem "An Irishman foresees His Death" by William Butler Yeats keeps coming to my mind.

    "My country is Kiltartan Cross

        My countrymen Kiltartan's poor.

    No likely end could bring them loss

        or leave them happier than before."

The poem is a dark look at World War I from an Irish perspective.  This, unnamed pilot, believes that he will give his life in battle and nothing would change for his people.  

Perhaps this is a nihlistic way of looking at the world.  It doesn't matter what we do, bad things will happen and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.  

I reject that view.  Rather to me, this poem speaks of the peril of faith in the wrong things.  More importantly, it tells me that it is dangerous to get our joy from shallow sources.

At the end of the vote counting, roughly half of the people will be happy and half will be angry and disappointed.  I am cynical enough to believe that in 18 month's time, most will be more than a little frustrated.  As powerful as the President is, he is very ineffective at bringing joy to the people.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Joy is something we need in hard times.  It is different from happiness in that it is less obvious, but it is also not founded on circumstances.

Our Heavenly Father is faithful and strong enough to provide peace and joy to us in every situation.  His people would do well to show that they have tapped into this unlimited source.

God's people need to have less faith in politicians.

His servants need to have more faith in Him.

Most of all, the Children of God must never let politicians steal their joy.