I have always found Inauguration Day intriguing. When you stop and think what it really means... a man (who may not want to give up the power... as some have not in the past) must turn over the keys to the Big White House... so to speak.
When President Bush and his family left in the helicopter today and Obama and his family turned around to continue today's festivities, it was an amazing sight. That transfer of power that happens every four to eight years in this country... no gunshots, no killings (well, verbal assaults during the campaign), no military action... but handshakes and goodbyes.
Transferring the power from one man to another... arguably the most powerful men in the world at this moment in time and history... done with an election and a handshake. No matter how much the outgoing man in power wants to remain... he leaves... peacefully. Democracy at work, if not perfect (and it isn't)... it is pretty darn good.
I don't know what the coming years will bring. Obama has good ideas but he also stands against a few moral issues for which I stand. Will he bring overall good or not? We never know at a beginning of a presidency.
His rock star status scares me a bit. It almost looked like people were there for the Second Coming if you judged from the crowds who were present and interviews begin given. I know one thing, no one human being can live up to all that hype.
But I can understand the excitement of our first African American president. Not all that long ago Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in that city and had a dream. Today... the dream was fulfilled.
The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders and those in authority. Tomorrow morning I will be adding President Obama, his wife, his children, and their Grammie (a Grammie in the White House, what a great idea!) to my prayer list... they will need our prayers.
16 comments:
Thank you for a wonderful post! This is the first post I've read today about Obama by someone who doesn't necessarily agree with his politics that was respectful.
Marianna
Brenda, this was so well written. I, too, am praying for the Obama family. The amount of responsibility must be overwhelming. I just saw the pictures of the aging of the presidents when they left office and it was interesting. It really has aged most of them. I pray the Lord will surround him with wise people. His family seems sweet and I think the Grammie in the White House is a cool thing.
Brenda, You are so gracious. We all must concede that Obama is a charismatic speaker. I also am concerned about the moral positions I hold dear that he opposes, but I do not hate him. My hope is that he will bring more good than harm to our country. On a lighter note, my daughter was talking to her eleven old son this afternoon about the inarguration as he watched it at his school today. When he mentioned that Obama is the first African American president, my daughter replied: "Well you know his mother was white." Josh had an expression of complete astonishment at that news. "Well, he said. So, how do you think she felt about having a black baby?" lol
I thought all the hugs and kisses between the Obamas and Bushes was so sweet! I think it's wonderful that on inauguration day people are so civil and nice to each other. :)
Hi Brenda,
Wonderful words of how so many of us are feeing today. I to have added the new president and his leaders to my prayer lists.
Blessings,
Sue
Perfect post! Mind if I link to it today? I couldn't have written these thoughts any better. Blessings, Debra
It pleased me a lot to see President Bush so warmly welcomed in Texas. I think that he has wanted to be done with Washington for a while now and, from all I've read, he did everything possible to make this transition swift and sure. I have such reservations about this presidency, but I think it will be lovely to have children in the White House again.
Very interesting and very well written. I, too, am praying for our new president and family.
It was a really wonderful day! I cried so much I gave myself quite a headache by the end of the day! I don't think he has "rock star status" I've never thought of him that way and I don't know anyone that does. Some people just feel extremely hopeful about him and find him uplifting. I like that he says we all have to get up and dust ourselves off and get to work - together as a country.
As always Brenda, you have my utmost respect for having had such civil posts about Obama especially during the election even though you were not a supporter.
Manuela
A great post. A great reminder of what our country is all about. Whether we agree or disagree with all of his views, the President and indeed all people, deserve respect. We are afterall, created in His image. I of course, will be praying for our new President and his family. One of my prayers will be that God will change his heart of certain matters.
Wonderful post. Although I'm Canadian, I agree 100% with what you have written. A gracious post even though you don't agree with all his politics. Our prayers are for your president and his family, that God would direct his path and give him wisdom over the next 4 years. He is definitely going to need them.
I am heavy hearted at the CHOICE Americans made for their president, is it any wonder what people will believe, that is coming one day...
YET, I know as my post yesterday spoke of , there are no surprises with God and yes, I too was happy that our country shines through this time of the transistion of power.
We had a guest speaker who spoke on prayer, it will be a blog post at the end of the week with a link for some books, excellant and some CHEAP....
Deby
Thank you for this wonderful post, Brenda! I have followed your blog for a while. Although my political views differ from yours, I love your humility, open-mindedness and grace under pressure. I aspire to develop some of those traits, which is one reason I read your blog regularly. As someone whose views differ from mine, I really value the respectfulness with which your post was written. I wish all good blessings for you and your family!
Michelle
He wasn't my pick but then again neither was McCann. God is in control so as we sorta watched we continued to pray. I told my children that Obama is probably the first president to be covered by the prayers of many, many Christians. Sometimes God uses times like these to get folks praying.
Thankyou Brenda,
That was so lovely. What a responsibility this man now has and yes he needs the prayers of us all. We will be praying for the new president and his family here in Australia as well.
Blssings Gail
Thank you for your wonderful thoughts. I too appreciate what you said about the "rock star status". It made me sad to see 2 million people chanting his name and looking to him for the only hope in their lives. It made me sad because I felt like they were looking to Obama to save our country instead of looking to God to do that. I also disagree with him on some issues and I didn't vote for him, but I know that God often gives us the leader we deserve instead of the one we want. The Bible tells us to pray for those who are in authority and to give them their due. We must pray hard for him and for the direction our government will take us in.
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