THIS AFTERNOON IS KICKBALL AS WE TEAM UP WITH ST. THOMAS LUTHERAN CHURCH. Stop by to play, cheer, or enjoy lunch! Lunch begins at 12:45 P.M. and kickball at 1:45 P.M. The event is held at Christ Lutheran Church, which is on Canal (of Schoenherr between 19 Mile and Hall Road.) Water for Flint is also being collected during the kickball tournament.
In pre-marriage counseling, one of the areas looked at is called “realistic expectations.” Is either partner expecting to live “happily ever after” as in a fairy tale or do they appreciate that there will be hurts, disappointments and recurring issues all along the way? Do their expectations of marriage match the reality of marriage? I think the same applies to the electorate as we listen to those seeking public o ice. I am forever amazed at the number of our fellow Americans who give the impression that their candidate is a virtual messiah! Of course, the candidates and major parties bear some responsibility for this. They paint the picture in which they have a solution for every conceivable problem that adversely a ects humanity! And, sadly, a fair amount of citizens enthusiastically believe it to be so. No wonder six months to a year after someone takes o ice their ratings plummet as people are dismayed that heaven has not been established on the earth!
Now that the fanfare and hoopla of the conventions are behind us, we, the electorate, must examine our expectations of those seeking public of ice. Do we expect them to be messiahs, demigods, superheroes or (hopefully) just intelligent, committed individuals who will seek to do their best as they propose how to improve (not perfect) our way of life. Then there are the unknowns that can de-rail any plan, like when our basement floods and the money and time we thought could be for something fun has to be targeted toward just keeping our home functional and safe. No party or candidate knows what unknowns are sitting out there that might derail their plans and ideals.
Finally, it is such a curious thing that we place the highest of expectations on others. Yet, when we fail to live up to our own ideals, well, you know, “I’m human.” “Hey, you gotta understand my circumstances.” “If I had only known about such and such then I would decided differently ” It’s funny how we so readily justify or excuse ourselves but hold the absolute line for our fellow mortals. As followers of Jesus, I think we are supposed to do just the opposite! So whatever our own preference and views may we strive to have realistic expectations of those seeking the presidency and other o ices. When push comes to shove, they are all very human, just like you and me.
Fr. Randy Phillips