I try to keep an open mind. And as a rule, I’m not the most trusting person in the world. So, when I’m seeking out news that resonates with what I’ve known to be true, I often find that I have to listen broadly, pick through what I’m hearing, and hold onto what makes the most sense. Throwing the rest away or as some would say, eating the meat and throwing away the bones is probably the best strategy in today’s uncertain media climate. At one time, I wanted to be a journalist, but today I would never consider being painted with that brush. The reputation of journalists has been so tarnished that the profession appeals to me about as much as that of a used car salesman, a proctologist, or an attorney. In short, no thanks.

I stopped watching the news many years ago. Long before it was being called “fake news” and way before all of these underground journalists were in the mix trying to combat the rampant and widespread misinformation campaigns we see today. Mostly, I stopped watching back then because I got tired of seeing reporters chase people down when they were in the midst of a tragedy, trying to get the fresh scoop on the emotional impact of the chaos of the day. I think the moment I watched a famous newscaster ask a shark-bit victim how it felt when the shark bit them was the moment I said, “I’m done with these people.” I mean, how do you think it felt, dude? Would you like to try it out so that you have the benefit of a first-hand experience? No, I’m guessing not. So, why report on this as though you are salivating for a twinge of misery that you can fling out at your viewers in hopes of shocking them into being interested in you? It was disgusting and although that particular journalist is no longer in the thick of it, the whole industry continues to be disgusting.

The news became so filled with heartbreaking and disgusting revelations about the awful things that people do to each other that I had to skip it in order to maintain my sanity. It was as though they were either trying to desensitize me so that I would look the other way when I saw people committing crimes; either that or they were trying to scare me into submission for one reason or another. As the years went by, I noticed that the content only got worse. Though I’m not under any mistaken impression about the pervasiveness of evil, I couldn’t imagine that things were really as terrifying as they were making them out to be on the news. I turned it off and refused to be bullied into believing that I had to look over my shoulder every minute of the day.

I was basically uninterested in politics or news for many years until we reached 2016. At that time, I started paying attention. Things weren’t adding up and those whom I thought were good, upstanding citizens were starting to show their true colors. After years of voting Democrat, I began to doubt whether I was affiliated with the right party. They were beginning to lean more toward supporting all of the things that went against God’s word and doing so more blatantly with each passing year. For a little while, I thought we were going to be okay. Our president at that time came in and started to do really great things. He was fixing things in spite of massive opposition. He even had the price of prescription drugs down to something manageable. And he wasn’t afraid to call things as he saw them, no matter how unpopular it made him with the other side.

Up to that point in time, I was so unpatriotic that I dreamed of leaving the country. I couldn’t stand all of the flag-waving and old-fashioned American pride back then. But little by little, I began to understand why so many people were so proud to be U.S. citizens. I began to actually care what happened to this country and now, my heart breaks as I witness the damage that has been done by people who never intended to instill national pride in anyone who voted for them.

There is an absolute mess being made by people who have spent their lives in politics with the sole intention of improving their own status above everyone else’s. And somehow, even when it is put right in front of the people, they aren’t seeing it. Whether that’s because they don’t want to see it or because they’ve been conditioned to look the other way doesn’t really matter. The truth is, they simply aren’t awake to reality.

Tomorrow is our election day. And as you know (whether you admit it or not) the last election was so manipulated that we cannot be sure that any of the races won were done so legitimately. This is not conjecture, there have been court cases where malfeasance was uncovered, but no penalty was set. Just an acknowledgement that the worst did, in fact, happen. So, at this point, they’ll say that they cheated, but they won’t suffer any consequences for it. It doesn’t make me feel great about how things might turn out tomorrow. The only thing that gives me hope is the fact that God has been watching it all and He will deliver justice as He sees fit, even if we don’t see it in our lifetime, He will deal with those who have taken sides with the devil to try and keep His goodness from inspiring others to do the right thing. He sees those who champion depravity and those who try to seduce others into feeling more secure in their sin than they do in the comfort of His arms. He sees it all and He will deal with them all accordingly.

For now, all we can do (if we want to be awake) is open our eyes and ears, listen for the truth and look for the answers. They are there, but in these days of deception and darkness, they require a willingness to dig in and scrape away layers of lies and subtle threats that have been spread on quite thick. Many will still refuse to see what is right in front of them, and no matter what, they will opt to ignore the presence of evil until it is too late. But we must keep our eyes on God and constantly seek His truth above everything else. Even when it is frightening or frustrating, we need to trust that He wants to bring us through the mess and into a much better place. He wants our lives to be rich and filled with hope and peace. And here, in this world, the only thing the devil can offer is a pale counterfeit of the surface of God’s kingdom. And the devil’s failure to deliver anything of value is so very evident to those who can see God’s light.

So, keep in mind that we have the tools to fix the problems created by those who do not want us to acknowledge God’s light. One of those tools is getting out there and voting tomorrow. Restore your hope. Keep your eyes on God. Use the gifts He’s given you and make your voice heard. Cast your vote for God’s glory and let our ballot scream loudly that you will no longer accept the lies that the devil has been telling you. We are His children and He is our king. And He wants us to stand up and take charge of all that He has promised us. It is not yet time to surrender this place to the darkness that wants it so badly. Our light is still shining brightly and we must refuse to let anyone cover it up. As the old Battle Hymn says, “I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is marching on.” Glory, Hallelujah indeed.

Rebecca Benston is the owner of Higher Ground Books & Media and the author of over twenty titles currently available through Amazon and other outlets. Her books include a mystery series (The Rona Shively Stories), empowerment resources such as Wise Up to Rise Up, Don’t Be Stupid (And I Mean That in the Nicest Way), and From Judgment to Jubilee, children’s books including Grumble D. Grumble Learns to Smile, All the Scary Things, and See How Strong You Are. Benston lives in Springfield, Ohio with her awesome daughter, Mya and enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and telling it like it is. She enjoys being able to help other authors get their stories out there through Higher Ground and has recently expanded her freelance services to offer more extensive guidance as a writing coach and social media manager. For more information, you can contact Benston at highergroundbooksandmedia@gmail.com.

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