Human nature

Years ago my grandfather handed me a photograph of a famous Virginia train wreck – today politics reminds me of a train wreck.

It’s easy to blame Trump for that. But the blame runs deeper.

In  the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament King David lusted after Bathsheba, had her husband sent into battle to kill him. David repented. And God forgave him. But after David died one after another kings in Israel pursued Jezebels, built altars to false gods, and ignored repentance – Israel landed in Babylon.

Human nature hasn’t changed all that much. Devil’s whisper, temptation rears its head, vices like greed and lust run wild. It’s an old story.

Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan were all flawed men – but each had faith. Wounded, lying on a hospital gurney, Reagan said a prayer for the young man who shot him. That rare kind of faith got us through the Revolution, Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War. But today we’re so rich and powerful faith hardly matters.

But there’s a sign of hope: Looking at politicians, people are beginning to shake their heads. They’ve had enough.

There’s no way to escape – or change – human nature. Or resist devil’s whispers. Or walk through a day without sinning. But we can pray for faith. For a rebirth. That’s an old story too. That may keep us out of Babylon.