Leading Lady

Judges 4:4 – “Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.”      Those of us in the south have been bombarded over the past week with voter propaganda, smear campaigns and just plain old fashioned rhetoric over election tampering and the results of the races for governor in both Florida and Georgia. We know each candidate wanted to put their best foot forward; but it seemed as if the only way they could do that was to try to trip others. Now that the madness for the most part has been settled at the polls, now the real battle begins.      The gubernatorial race has come down to a jockeying for position as voter fraud and ‘sore loser’ allegations have flooded the airways. Whether one, the other or neither was your person of choice or if you don’t live within a 1000 miles of Georgia, we are all affected by this soon to be decided outcome. In this globally connected world that we live in, the issues of one certainly do affect the livelihood of others.     Today’s scripture tells about the prophet Deborah who became a prominent judge for Israel. Considering the time in which she lived, many may be astonished to learn of her role and the history that was laid out because of her actions. As a strong advocate for justice and the courage that surpassed many of the men under her rule, Deborah spearheaded a God-ordained attack against Israel’s oppressors. The ensuing victory lead to a forty year reign of peace.     Here in Georgia we do not know the outcome between these two candidates, but to those who may scoff because they believe this job is too much for a woman to handle – Atlanta and other prominent cities have had and currently have women in high political office and gender should not be an issue of competence. Let’s look not at gender, but at her ability to lead.     Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT day! Keep praying for justice and fairness. Be blessed! Rev. Dr. JoAnn