Reaping what we Sow

The NC Primaries were yesterday. There were only two issues on my ballot- mayoral candidate, and city council district candidate. I think that in all but the mayoral race, the city council folk in most districts were running unopposed by the other party, thus whoever won the primary would be city council member. Seemed important to vote for that reason alone, but even I, an ardent believer in the privilege, blessing, and duty of voting almost didn't bother. The mayoral candidate of my party was a shoe-in, and the city council candidates not terribly different from each other. I drove on by the polling site, forgetting about it, until I got home.

Oops. I hadn't voted! So I gathered my phone and ID, though they never ask for ID which to me is a crime, and headed off to walk to the polls. It was a pleasant walk, though a hot day. It felt good to have legs that could walk easily for miles without tiring in a country where I could walk in relative safety. I thought how blessed I am to live in America and how much I wanted my country to remain the safe, opportunity rich, and beautiful country I had always known. On the anniversary of 9/11, I am reminded it may not always be. I was suddenly very very glad I had made the effort to go vote. I arrived at the polls where one car, yes ONE, was parked.
Maybe everyone walked to vote, I hoped.

Nope. When I walked in, I was the only one there besides the poll workers.
"Busy day?" I asked.
The workers pointed to my number. 86. We are a large and usually well represented district. Only 86 people had voted and it was already close to 3:00. Maybe there would be an afterwork surge, though I doubted it.

"I fear for our country," I said to the worker.
"So do I," she said.

We will get the country we deserve, I thought sadly as I walked home. I suspect more people were watching soap operas than voting all across our state. Way more. And really, how sad it was that most primary candidates were running with no contenders from the opposing party. How could this be? We reap what we sow. It is true in the physical life and it is true in the spiritual life. If we are lazy and uninvolved in the affairs of the country we live in now, I wonder how ardently we are preparing ourselves for the country where we will spend eternity?

The dispirited poll worker didn't even hand me a sticker as I finished.
"May I take a sticker?" I asked, "Maybe someone will see it and remember to vote."
"YES!" he said, "Take two!"
I wore my 'I Voted' sticker on my black shirt. It really stood out on the dark background.

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For whatever a man will have sown, that also shall he reap. For whoever sows in his flesh, from the flesh he shall also reap corruption. But whoever sows in the Spirit, from the Spirit he shall reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8 CPDV)

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