Day 045: The Limitations of the 45th President and of Ourselves

Day 45 of my trying to figure out what it means to Live, Not Ordinary makes me think of one of, if not the most, not ordinary presidents our great nation has ever had. Donald J Trump was the 45th president of the United States of America, and I will not attempt to hide my appreciation for this man and president.

There are many who do not feel this way. I understand that. He was not my first choice for President in 2016 either. In fact, I made my mark for Trump with much reluctance. Up until his stance on covid, I was wrong about Donald J. Trump and still believe history will prove him to be one of America’s greatest presidents.

That said, Trump is human, not divine. This means he has made many mistakes personally, professionally, and presidentially. To redeem himself, Trump will need to do two major things. First, in a world shouting insanely about pride but screaming silently and desperately for humility, Trump will need to humbly admit mistakes and wrong doings. Then he will need to prove he learned from those mistakes and will not let them be repeated.

His voters, will need to do many things. First, they will need to model humility. They will need to take planks of pride and unforgiveness out of their own eyes before expecting political candidates to do the same. Our candidates give us what we show them. If we are prideful and self-centered, our leadership will reflect that.

Voters must build an open mind. They will need to forgive mistakes. This is hard to do.  Some of the country’s hatred toward Trump is due to the stubborn and sinful inability to forgive or believe change for the better is possible. This unforgiveness desecrates not just our 45th President but our country’s history as well.

While voters need to forgive, they also need to assess the entire presidential pool for the best candidate. Voters should pray about their choices and not pull a lever based on empty promises, insecurities, or on unfounded, nostalgic hopes that past mistakes won’t be repeated. Proverbs tells us as a dog returns to his vomit so a fool repeats his folly. Voters must not be that dog. There is too much at stake. At the same time, if President Trump makes steps toward humility and self-discipline, we cannot let our hardened hearts reject him.

Sometimes it’s easier to see your situation from a point of view entirely separated from where you see yourself. President Donald J. Trump gives us the perfect example of this. For many trauma victims, there is a temptation to hold onto the heat of unforgiveness. Unforgiveness offers a false sense of protection, but in reality unforgiveness poisons us, attacking from the inside. Trauma victims tend to reach out to anyone, often seeking comfort in the wrong arms. Oddly, the converse is also true. Trauma victims often shut down and refuse to open up to anyone. Finally, trauma victims often return to the abuse. While a victim is a Beloved child of God, returning to an abused makes many trauma victims feel like dogs returning to their vomit. It makes breaking the cycle and voting for Hope much harder to do.

The long and short of this is Donald J. Trump is human and fallible as are we all. While it can be difficult to see where we are held back through pride, unforgiveness, repeated destructive patterns, and hardened hearts in our personal lives, we may be able to see it in something like a presidential election. If these destructive tendencies occur in one area of our lives, they are likely to carry over in others as well.

In all things, we need to assess our beliefs and our actions and not be paralyzed by fear or unforgiveness. At the same time we must not move forward foolishly or based on unfounded promises. Our choices affect generations and our eternal souls. Too much is at stake for anything less.

Prayer: Dear Sovereign King, ruler of Heaven and Earth, help us grow in humility and mercy. Grant is the power to forgive and the wisdom, courage, and strength to walk alone when needed. Lord of all, we ask this for ourselves and our families and also for our nation and our Church. Amen

God Bless…

Gratitude Journal- May 26, 2023

Thank You Lord for…

1. sleeping until 6:59 when my alarm was set to go off at 7:00!
2. time with C.
3. insurance for the boys – phew!
4. B to text
5. L who I wanted to text and never “found the time.”
6. Mass and the Body of Christ this morning!
7. Adoration!
8. A day of cleaning!
9. Hope to get the donations dropped off
10. Father I