By Myrtle Virginia Thompson

This Tuesday, Americans will be preparing to vote in the most politically tainted election in my memory. Will the election stop the anger, the hatred, the mocking, the threats, the evil in the hearts of both elected officials and those who owe no allegiance to our great country?

Law and order seem to be thrown to the wind by some with a determination to “have it their way.” Five times in Genesis 1, we read that God’s first creative acts were “good.” What happened?

The intimation of warfare started in the Garden of Eden because of disobedience. Blame and murder quickly followed. Sound familiar? Like them, we are sinners. In the New Testament, Jesus said, “love one another…” Those words would help stay the ugliness if they were taught and observed. Instead, 6,000 years of history and the “chess” game continues. Where is the checkmate? Anger has grown into a giant obsession, evidenced by threats, killings, looting and the burning of property not their own, a determination to rule by force, a disregard of the worth of human life. When evil wins, “good” people lose.

In the late 1970s, I was living in Iran, teaching in an international school. Revolution was threatening their doorstep. It seemed obvious there would be no stopping it. Students were fearful. I asked a teacher for advice on what to do. She took me aside and said, “They want him out and will not stop until he is gone.” The “him” was the Shah. Biblical Persia, with a celebrated 2,500-year-old history, was about to be overtaken.

The laws of our beloved country had a Christian influence that incorporated freedom. That freedom is becoming one-sided, replaced by political correctness and “regulations,” a few for our good, some not. Evil seems to be winning.

There is one hope in which we can find hope, 2 Chronicles 7:14: “if my people called by My Name will humble themselves and pray…seek my Face… turn from their wicked ways…I will hear and forgive…”

This is a very serious time in our own and our country’s life. We need to refocus our attention on what God has told us to do.

Myrtle V. Thompson is a 90-year-old retired missionary, educator and writer. Contact her at mvtgrt@gmail.com.