Yes, I am happy for Mr. Obama

After Barack Obama was elected to serve as president and in the days after his inauguration, it was easy to see how happy he was to be given the opportunity to lead this country by the American people. In interviews, he was just so happy and joyous, and I was happy for him that he gets to be president, his wife, Michelle, gets to be first lady, and his daughters get to grow up in the White House. I am very happy for Obama the person. However, Obama the politician is another matter. Despite both of us having in common a faith in Jesus and being baptized, we just view the world and government's role differently. And, that's OK. God has given us different abilities to serve Him. God never intended for the government to be our savior or benefactor or daddy. Government's role, as outlined in Romans 13, is to protect our rights and enforce the law. In other words, the government is there to administer God's justice. The church, on the other hand, is there to administer God's grace. I view it as my responsibility (and the church's) to help out our fellow man who has fallen on tough times, not the government's. But Mr. Obama and I see differently on this one. Oh, well. I am hoping for him to change.