Concerts, elections, and a box of toys.

There's a movement stirring.  

I tasted it last weekend while attending a concert with my husband.  The crowd was singing along to songs about brokenness and hope and joy.  They clapped and sang and raised their hands and affirmed the Truth that was in their hearts.  Life is hard, and it's not always easy to stand up and tell the devil to run.

But the entire room stood with a Aslan roar and pushed back the darkness for a few hours that Saturday night.  

Trouble always seems to find its way back into our lives, but we can't welcome it in and let it roll around and stir up filth in our hearts and homes.  I know a lot of people who have raised the white flag of defeat and have accepted that trouble is always going to be a guest in their lives.  They make bad decision after bad decision, they wear the victim name tag, and they walk around telling everyone their woes.  They've let trouble snuggle right next to them.  

There's comfort in the familiar, but I don't want to be comfortable with trouble.  

There's an election this week, and the US is full of trouble these days.  Snarky social media, polarized political parties, and confused citizens want to know how in the world it's come down to these candidates.  I've tossed around conspiracy theories and have even considered an alien invasion, because that seems to make more sense than what is actually happening.  I am not comfortable with voting for either candidate, but I don't want you to convince me why yours is the best choice.  I'll decide on Tuesday when I mark my ballot, thank you very much.     

A lot of people have been waiting for November's arrival to say goodbye to this election season.  I've been waiting for an entirely different reason: 

Each year around the end of October I begin decorating for Christmas.  I've been a little more intentional this year, and have enjoyed taking my time.  On Friday I found the small tin of Rudolph figurines in one of my many storage tubs.  These figurines have been a staple in our holiday season since my first little girl was a toddler, and each year at the end of the season I put them away.

I've pulled these toys out each year for about a decade.  In the last ten years I've experienced heartache and joy.  I've lost family and friends, and I've welcomed new people into my life.  I've been sick and I've been well, I've been happy and I've been sad.  I've settled into new jobs and homes, and I've said goodbye to places I cared about.  I've seen trouble and I've seen goodness.

These toys represent a life full of changes.     

And Jesus is still on the throne.   

Lord willing, Tuesday is going to happen and Wednesday morning is coming, too.  There's going to be an election and our country's leadership is going to change.  There are people who want you to believe that this one choice is life or death.  The devil is delighting in the fear and anxiety and anger this election season is causing us.   

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. 

John 16:33

We can sit around and welcome feelings of trouble, anxiety, and feel defeated, or we can push back with a holy roar because we know this is not the end. 

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