Dear Mr. President

"WE the PEOPLE in order to form a more perfect union...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Preamble to the Constitution

"...to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; and whenever any Form of Government becomes destrutive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government."

Declaration of Independence

Dear Mr. President...

I know you get it; what's troubling is your presumption that because you believe America needs to be fundamentally transformed--you have the right, your opinion, to exercise the power of the Presidency in ways that violate the trust given to you in 2008. You don't own the Presidency, the People lend our Presidents power and expect they will use but not abuse it.

You have described a classic American experience, people helping each other up the ladder--part of what makes our culture exceptional. Then it became clear as you continued, that you don't get it at all. In your vision of our country, "behind every successful entrepreneur there stands a successful government (Rich Lowry)."  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth is, Mr. President, that behind our government--the oldest most successful democracy on earth--stand exceptional citizens, who believe in a big idea birthed in the crucible of revolution, which make it great. It's this "citizen DNA" that makes democracy work. "We the people" build those bridges, dams and roads, that "infrastructure;" our engineers vision and design them and our labor force contructs them; our hard earned tax dollars pay for them. Government has a role, but make no mistake: the People preceded the Government and it is this Nation's People that make her great, government possible and dreams come true.

Mr. President, the People did not anoint you to Federalize mentors, teamwork and pro bono benevolence. That's not a function of government, never has been, never will be; it's part of the character of our People and has marked every generation for 239 years. The genesis of this kind of generosity is the goodness of our People and our willingness to help each other; our passion for helping others improve their lot in life, realize a dream, move across socio-ecomic barriers and beat the odds. That's just what we do; we give back and we give generously without concern for what "our fair share" might be. That's why America is the most generous Nation on the planet; this is a place where in spite of evil, goodness does eventually prevail.

Please, Mr. President, reconsider your campaign to reinvent America in the image of collectivism. That sets the bar far too low and will surely relegate us to the backwaters of the 21st Century. The world will be a far less humane place if that becomes our destiny.

Mr. President, like many politicians, you often conclude your prepared remarks with a simple yet profound blessing; "God bless America." I pray that you will be energized by the possibilities contained in that simple phrase; that you will lift your eyes from the horizon, to the heavens and be gifted with a fresh vision much bigger than "a fair share." A vision rooted in grace, driven by faith and powered by obedience.

Mr. President, may God bless you.

Respectfully,
Ben Baier


bN tGit

From another perspective.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3.20,21

This is a capstone of worship and benediction to Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Church in his letter to the same. The prayer, and this benediction, are perhaps my favorite text in the Newer Testament.

I've come to another perspective over the last few months about this promise in vv.20,21.  The optimist in me always sees the glass half-full.  These words "...abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine..." always brought great joy to my heart as I contemplated--then experienced--God's blessing on His people,  His provision on a "just in time" basis--rarely early but never late.

But recently I've connected the dots in a different way; "...abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine..." can sometimes come to us through the portal of pain, suffering and loss.  It isn't that I don't understand that God uses suffering in our lives.  It isn't that I've never personally experienced that process.  I'm 62 years old--who hasn't suffered in 62 years? God has always been a ROCK and walked though all the squasma with me.  I simply have never connected THIS verse to THAT process.  

Reflect on this with me for a moment--applying the text, "...abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine," to the crucible called suffering.  This promise is a deep well of hope for those between a rock and a hard place.  God wastes nothing that comes into our lives.  I believe that most of what we suffer is simply the result of the ebb and flow of life impacted by a world wrecked by sin.  Imagine (though the text says it's beyond our ability to imagine) God meeting us "abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine" in those hardest of hard "life-loss" moments--NOT removing the suffering or restoring the loss, but using it to transform us.

This--the hardest of hard-- is where I've lived since February 19, 2015 when we learned our 13 grandson, Braden, had a very serious cancer.  God has met me in this barren place...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  

Braden is not cancer-free, and we have no guarantee, though his prognosis is good.  The way to his current status has been difficult, he has suffered and lost too much.  Yet, through it all, God has inhabited my fear, my anger and my tears.  He has changed me, made me more dependent, forged a more profound faith in me; He has changed Braden.  He has changed our family...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

I have witnessed abundance through Braden's parents--their resolve and leadership; through Braden's transformed adolescent attitude;  through younger brother Kellen pitching in, doing all he can to bring comfort and ease the load.  I have witnessed abundance through answered prayer.  I have witnessed abundance through the hundreds of people who are investing there time, energy, love and faith in us--generously, constantly.  I have witnessed His abundance in my "dark night of the soul" moments...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

I know this: God is. God is acting. God is acting for us. God is acting for us abundantly beyond anything we can ask or imagine--in celebration and through suffering.

Loss isn't abandonment. It isn't the death of hope. It's an "intersection" where one can step back and see life not just for what it isn't, but for what it is; it's at that place, in that moment, we see the goodness of God...abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine.

Sometimes, joy comes in the MOURNING.


bN tGit