I miss my country.

Well – the election is over and Barack Obama has won. And, of course, I have to write my feelings about it to the dozen or so individuals who read my blog. So here goes.

First let me say that the president-elect has my respect. His election is historic and means so much to so many people who have felt for so long that they have no voice. Although I did not vote for him and do not prefer his view of government's role in society, I say he and the democrats in Washington deserve a fair crack at leadership. I choose not to be an angry little critic of a sore loser - instead I wish Obama the best and I hope he proves wrong my misgivings towards him.

Still...I have rather mixed emotions.

To the results of this election there are two rather distinct responses welling up from within me. One is dark, bitter, gravely disappointed, utterly disgusted, suddenly disenfranchised, woefully disheartened, sinking in the quagmire of the immediate dismal moment and dizzy from disbelief. The other response is optimistic, pragmatic, reasonable, calm and collected, confident and resolute, soaring far above the grim tree line and gazing down, cool-headed and rallied, at a much less foreboding forest, green with the promise of a better tomorrow.

Here’s the dark view. I am crushed and saddened that so many of my fellow Americans no longer seem to appreciate the beauty of self-government, the empowerment of independence, and the richness born of free and unencumbered enterprise. They don’t understand what these liberties are or even how to make use of them. And the price these treasures require – that of patience, diligence, honor, integrity, righteousness, and charity – they are no longer willing to pay. They’ve squandered the prosperity bestowed on them by their forefathers, grappling gluttonously for the short-term high of instant gratification and the fleeting pleasure of material gain – all from the least effort possible and with no regard whatsoever for how their greedy pursuits might affect their fellow man. The result of all this – an unfortunate need for the intervention of government to inefficiently try to pick up their slack at the unfair expense of those who, mostly in prudence, prosper the most.

But here’s the optimism. Our nation will, over the next few years, come to understand what freedom is. Remember the Joni Mitchell song that said “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” I fully expect the Democrats in Washington to effectively remind us what we ought to value - by taking some of it away from us. Americans who love free enterprise will rally in another four or eight years (I suspect eight) and vote in a candidate who will represent a Republican Party that has learned hard lessons from its many mistakes and reconstructed itself on the foundation of America’s core principles. Our taxes may have risen - and certain new government initiatives may have settled in to stay, but our country will have seen first-hand both the up-side and the down-side of a big overbearing government – and will be less enamored of it.

Our parties shift their power from side to side often. It’s not good, I think, for one party to remain in power for too long. That party will eventually take its power for granted and lose sight of its most honorable aims. Right now the axis of power has shifted a bit to the left, but don’t expect it to stay there. Despite my darker musings, the independent American spirit is alive and well. It has given in to fear for a time, and has run to the sheltering arms of government. But give it time and it will re-emerge, throw aside its security blanket, and assert itself once again.

Nevertheless, no matter what happens, brothers and sisters, let us continue in prayer for our country, its leaders, its future and its soul. Pray that our people will receive Jesus Christ when their faith in government fails. Let’s see the Spirit of God settle in the humbled hearts of our people and watch as the blessings flow once again. We’re in a season of change – and if we keep focused on God and His ways, not politics, that change will be for the better in the long run.