Like buying sushi from Radio Shack

My NATION has not let me down. Because we are a collective group of individualists, trying to merge our ideas into harmony while proudly singing our various melodies louder with each new verse.

My PRESIDENT has not let me down. Because he only a human who is charging toward a mark only a rare few would even endeavor to take aim at, and that position demands respect, not perfection.

My POLITICAL PARTY has not let me down. Because it is an aloof and inherently flawed means of collective representation and does not pretend to heal the marrow of the matter.

My LEGAL SYSTEM has not let me down. Because the law by which it is bound is merely a reflection of the tidal, fickle, evolving society with which it is concerned.

My RELIGIOUS FAITH has not let me down. Because it provides the iron to sharpen my iron, and the frame for accountability, study, and worship that draws me closer to the Lord my God and to truth, unequivocated and salvation, simply.

My CHURCH has not let me down. Because, as church means "people", we are equally flawed beggars seeking after the same bread, differently.

My FRIENDS have not let me down. Because in them I see God working miracles, shaping souls, and crumbling long-standing fortresses around walled hearts.

My FAMILY has not let me down. Because in them, I am humbled by echoes of my own failings, become stronger as I heal from old wounds of imperfection long inflicted, experience the boundless love of a mothers' heart, and hear cheers of encouragement beside me as I run the valiant life marathon.

My HOPE has not let me down. Because in hope lies the crux of meekness, the power of faith, and the wisdom to trust in truths promised and revealed in God's time.

And the LORD MY GOD will never let me down. Because in His gift lies the reason for my joy, the rhythm of my spirit, and the promise of eternity. The truth amidst so many shades of grey.

Sometimes I find myself angrily frustrated with the lack of answers and solutions among us as we look to those representatives and institutions which are meant to provide them. Often times, the options presented remind me of taking a multiple choice test in school. I want to choose: "D: None of The Above". But when analyzing my sense of abiding Let Down with the world, my thoughts lead me to understand that my being disappointed to the point of despair quite often means that the expectation was likely misplaced in the first place.

This seems to be a chronic error I stumble into, even while realizing full well that in order to go through life with Godly expectations, I MUST shed the worldly ones I so often find myself bogged down by. We cannot expect miracles from our President, or lasting answers from our judicial system. We cannot expect flawlessness from our political system, the parties it spawns, or the candidates it creates. Why am I tempted to expect bountiful harvest from barren ground? It is as ridiculous as trying to buy sushi from Radio Shack.

There are simply limits on what this world, its people, systems, unions, and even our most honed offerings can produce. While our world can be inspiring and worthy, beautiful and honorable, all that we are pales by comparison to the unending well of wisdom and perfect truth we have unlimited access to EVERY MOMENT. If only we stopped wasting our time trying to quench our compelling thirst with thimbles of water, we could be drenched under a roaring waterfall.

The answers are not found in anything this world can produce. But within this world, there are sometimes unexpected signposts that can help lead us to the answer.

I can only be let down if I place Godly expectations on worldly mechanisms, on people, and on things. He alone offers solid hope, satisfying answers, and lasting nourishment. Everything else is transitory. To release our grip on it is to let go of unfulfilled expectations in favor of the only one who can ever truly satisfy our souls. And to cease focusing on that which has limited capacity and a finite shelf life, and instead invest ourselves in that which is eternal. To exchange "Let Down" for "Let Go", and profound frustration for newfound peace.