2022’s golden calf

Anyone reading this, and who knows me, will know the “golden calf” reference. If not, here’s the short story of it. The children of Israel, several thousand years ago, FINALLY escaped slavery under the Egyptian Pharaoh and were a free people as God had promised. Being humans and very short sighted, after a BAZILLION miracles that ONLY God could have performed to have gained their release of slavery and bondage, and coming to rest at the foot of a mountain, Moses – yes, THAT Moses of, “LET MY PEOPLE GO” – went up the mountain and had a very LONG and LOUD conversation with the actual God of the Universe at which time He gave Moses the ACTUAL “10 COMMANDMENTS” – yes, they really are a REAL thing. While Moses was on the mountain WITH God the children of Isreael were getting just a tad restless…. SO…. they went to Moses’ brother, Aaron, and said, “dude – your bro has been gone just a weeeeee too long. I think we need to build an altar and burn some sacrifices to our gods”… not God, but gods. And Aaron caved. Everyone brought in their gold. Aaron melted it down and erected a golden calf at the altar, and the children of Israel – after witnessing the Hand of the Living God deliver them from captivity and death – bowed and worshiped a clump of metal while the God of the UNIVERSE was 1000+/-ft above them communing with the man He chose to deliver them, Moses.

What does this have to do with now? Democrats. Republicans. Left. Right. Which shiny object is America chasing now? Did politics become our religion? Ask ANY member of ANY party if they TRUST a politician and they will 100% laugh and say a resounding NO! So if politics isn’t our religion, what is? What filled the vacuum of the nuclear family who attended church on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and sometimes once during the week? Curious!

Today, April 6, 2022, my parents celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. Miracle? Probably. Both are still living, thankfully, and in relatively good health. It’s not a secret to anyone in our family it was a contentious relationship. That’s not an indictment. It’s simply a fact. They married young and extremely naive, 2 very headstrong individuals from a farming community. After witnessing their marriage as a child, teen, know-it-all 20-something, dumb 30ish into motherhood and wife, and now grandmother in my 60’s with ALL the junk/crap/joy/happiness/shit/bliss life brings… they did the best they knew how! I fault them none, am eternally grateful, and love them infinitely!

How did I wind up here? Simple! God! He has a very simple order of things. God. Man. God. Woman. God. Marriage. God. Babies. God. Family. God. Covenant Family. God. Eternity with Him! GOD!!! THAT is what I learned from Robert and Barbara – if nothing else. Nothing else matters – but God!