Thinking about God, Jesus and The Big Questions

Every election year, I notice that many people get very vocal for or against a particular candidate. But   we should never put all of our trust in human leaders . Even the best human leader is flawed and imperfect. Even the best candidate of the century pales in comparison to Jesus. It's good to carry out our civic responsibilities: carefully considering the candidates and their policies, and picking which one we feel is best for the country at the time.  It is wonderful to live in a democracy where we have choices. At the same time, I find it hard to get passionately behind any candidate, because I have yet to find one that isn't flawed. I'm flawed too, an imperfect being, a sinner. We all are. It's part of being human. But just as I would not find myself worthy of leading a country, I find it hard to find anyone worthy of leading the country. In the second coming of Christ, we can look forward to a new Heaven and a new Earth, with God and Jesus as our leaders. Now...

I was recently reading the fiction novel "The Book of You" by Claire Kendal. Disclaimer: this book has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity, whether for or against. Its plot is about a woman who is being stalked by a man she has no interest in, and what she does when she realizes that the stalking is escalating. This story made me think about the nature of love. The male villain in the story professed to be in love with the female protagonist. However, his treatment of her (stalking, and worse) was far from what anyone would call love. In reality, love is a two-way street, requiring the permission of both (not just one). You don't tell someone "Surprise! We're getting married today!" You ask, nicely. And you would understand that no means no. Likewise, Jesus wants us to come to him freely, out of choice. God will not inflict himself upon us like a crazy stalker who doesn't want us to have a choice. He gives us the greatest gift of all; the po...