One of the reasons I felt the urge to begin these 40 days of prayer for our country is because of the "fit" our leaders threw when they chose to no longer work together but to shutdown the government. I knew we would all be affected eventually, but I could not predict exactly what this would look like. My heart aches for our country knowing the potential we have to be a light to the rest of the world, but not when our capital is dark. I had another post ready for today but after reading this letter a friend wrote to his congressman and posted on Facebook, I felt it was more urgent to pray for this family and the many others who are staring at IOU's and trying to figure out this mess that has invaded their homes. Please know that I do not want to debate the issues here on this page. I'll talk politics with you any other time, feel free to email me, but here I just want to focus on praying. But I am posting his letter here because I feel it is important for us to know what it looks like for those who didn't get a pay check last week....
SHUTDOWN
My name is Tyal Rule. I currently work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. My job is crucial due to the fact that we are protecting the public from the convicted felons we have locked behind our fences. We put our lives on the line each day, not knowing whether or not we will be walking out the gate at the end of our shift. We do our jobs with little or no protective equipment, such as pepper spray. Correctional officers work inside housing units by themselves while being outnumbered by well over one hundred inmates. Each prison in the B.O.P. is working at the understaffed level, which is unsafe in itself.
What is upsetting is that you, as long as each and every politician in Washington expect us to continue doing our jobs during this shutdown, without any sort of income, while you all squabble like a bunch of school children trying to reach an agreement. All the while, you are getting paid, as well as welfare being paid for the ones that choose not to work.
What each and every one of you on both sides, as well as in the White House, are doing is showing a total lack of respect for Federal employees. We are sick and tired of being treated like pawns in your political game of chess. We are sick and tired of having our pay frozen and our benefits threatened.
We, like any normal person, have bills to pay. We have mortgage or rent, electricity, phones, car payments, and some have child support. We also have to provide food for our families. Are you planning to pay those things for us? Are you going to put food on our tables? Are you going to insure we never lose our homes or our electricity? I can answer that for you. The answer is NO!!! You people could care less because you have yours.
We also BETTER NOT be held accountable for bad credit ratings on our background investigations because of a mess that YOU, the government, has forced us into. Why do you guys not have to go through background investigations? I know why. It's because not many of you would pass them.
You can save a lot of money by cutting spending where it needs to be cut. Stop borrowing money from China, only to send it to the Muslim Brotherhood. Stop fighting wars in other countries that do not concern the United States. Just a few weeks ago, our great dictator was willing to attack Syria. Where was the money to fund that attack coming from? You mean to tell me that we can afford to attack Syria, but we can't keep our own government open? Our troops are not the world's police.
You could create a system to revamp welfare. We have to submit a urinalysis upon applying for a job. Why can't the same be applied to welfare? One strike and you're done permanently.
I don't agree with the shady circumstances in which Obamacare was passed. I don't think forced medical insurance is the answer to our problems. However, I don't think that this law should be the determining factor over whether the government stays open or not.
The disrespect shown towards the veterans at the World War II Memorial was appalling. These people risked their lives on the battlefield for our country, yet you keep them barricaded outside the memorial. What's even more disrespectful is that you allow the National Mall to open up for a gathering of illegal immigrants that have done nothing but drain our economy. To make matters even worse, Nancy Pelosi was one of the speakers.
You people were elected to serve the people, not for the people to serve you. You have not been doing a very good job as a whole in serving the people. Each and every one of you never had any intensions of serving the people or keeping your promises made during your election campaigns. You run for office for the money and power that it gives you, as well as the taxpayer funded perks you receive, while screwing over the hard working middle class in the process.
If the founding fathers of our country were alive today to see how our current leaders have destroyed America, they would be on their knees begging England to take back the territory.
We are done with your games in Washington and it's time to clean house. What better time to do that than the elections. Of course, you probably have those bought and paid for.
Shape up. Do the right thing. End this shutdown and get America back on track.
Sincerely,
Tyal Rule
And yet, this is the response that we just received:
I appreciate you taking the time to contact me. Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, there will be a delay in providing you with a response. Please know that I value your opinion. Should you need immediate assistance, please contact my Rogers office at 479-464-0446 or my D.C. office at 202.225.4301.
God I praise you for You alone are the Great Provider! You meet needs we sometimes don't know we have. Right now in our country there are so many families who suddenly have needs and we plead for You to meet them. Families who work, many of them working to protect the rest of us, many of them STILL working to protect the rest of us, and today do not have a paycheck to provide for the needs of their family. I ask that you cover these households with Your presence and provide for them. I pray that in these provisions You will be glorified. I pray for believers across this nation that we would be aware of these situations around us, that we would be full of compassion and generosity. I pray for the single parents who have these jobs that are now without pay. I pray you would step into their lives in a mighty way and take care of these families. I continue to pray for our President and our Congress that egos and agendas would be knocked down and they would become very aware of the hardship they have caused so many families. Give us all wisdom to know how to respond. Oh God, I thank you that this world is not my home, You have something so much better for me. I thank you for Jesus whose greatest sacrifice is the hope I cling to. I thank you that in the midst of this uncertainty You alone are our Rock. You never change and You will reign through this storm. May others see this hope we have in You and may You be glorified across this nation. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment