#181 – Mood Swings

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I fished out my recording of the inauguration of Barack Obama from exactly one year ago today. I watched again as the millions of people gathered outside the White House shared emotionally in the historic moment when an African-American man was chosen to be the most powerful person on the planet. Many had tears in their eyes and sensed that they were witnessing a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment. This was a moment that Martin Luther King could only dream about.

I remember too how Teddy Kennedy, despite being terminally ill, campaigned for Obama. Kennedy had represented the Democratic cause in Massachusetts since 1952 – it was one of the safest Democrat seats in the land. Rick Warren (Saddleback Church, California), an interesting choice as the nation’s chaplain, led prayers which spoke passionately about the inclusiveness of God’s love. I smiled as he invited the crowd to join in the Lord’s Prayer, and no one did. It’s at times like this that the preacher forgets the words and makes a mess of it. Never mind, Obama made a mess of the words of his presidential oath.

Who would have thought that one year into his presidency, Obama would have to explain to the nation, and to his own party, why the safest seat in the land had voted a Republican to replace Teddy Kennedy just one day before. You can imagine the delight felt by the Obama’s political opponents as they seek to put the knife in and block the healthcare reforms which are at the heart of Obama’s manifesto.

We are told by the political experts that Massachusetts vote represented a mood swing in the nation. Poor economic performance, continuing deaths in Afghanistan, possibly shock over the earthquake in Haiti had all contributed to the despondency felt by the American people. The bubble had burst. Their dreams were dashed. Their confidence in Obama, once unshakeable, was beginning to fade. How can he possibly recover from this?

You may have heard about the 72 year old woman who was pulled alive from the devastation in Haiti after being trapped for several days. She had prayed fervently to Jesus for help. The cynic would say, ‘why was she so lucky when thousands of others perished?’ No one can adequately explain why such disasters happen and many question the nature of God when so many innocent lives are extinguished in seconds. Jesus himself predicted that natural disasters like earthquakes would happen (Mark 13:8) but, unlike the Old Testament writers, did not attribute them to an act of God.

But the climax of Jesus’ life, indeed the climax of history for those who believe was also a tragedy. God himself hung on a cross, charged with crimes of which he was innocent. No doubt many will blame God again for Haiti, forgetting that God’s compassion is being demonstrated in the work of thousands of rescue workers and aid organisations from across the world.

My daily reading a couple of days ago was Psalm 42 – a mournful psalm where the writer is besieged by his opponents taunting him with the question, ‘where is your God?’ I can imagine Obama relating to this psalm in his present predicament. We were never promised a suffering-free life. We were never promised that we would be spared immense setbacks. Some might crumble in Obama’s position and stand aside for someone else to take the heat of high office. I suspect this setback, however, could be the making of the man. I sense he is made of sterner stuff. Just as the 72 year old woman clung to her hope of rescue in the rubble of Haiti, we too must at times cling to our faith in the face of diversity. For Jesus and his followers, despair was transformed into joy when they met him again, risen from the tomb.

Is your faith that strong?