Flips Flops

Indicative of the casual appearance and the unholy attitude exhibited of so many young people towards God's house of worship. I understand that many wear “flip flops” to church services at many of the mega worship centers.  As well as shorts and tank tops, exhibiting more flesh then was seen on the beach in my youth.  I remember my grandfather saying it was rare to see a woman’s ankle when he was a boy.  I have seen my grandmother and great grandmother wearing shoes which went several inches up their leg. 

Years ago, when I had a little vision, I remember going to a church here in the city and a girl walking down the center aisle who was dressed more appropriately for the beach than a worship service. When Moses led the 2 ½ million Jewish slaves out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, but first spending 40 years wondering in the desert.  God’s particular care for these chosen people was shown in the fact their clothing did not wear out nor did their foot wear: “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot” (Deuteronomy 29:5).

Again in Deuteronomy, he spoke of shoes of iron and brass “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25) God knew that it was going to be a rough trip.

In the military, one of the first things a soldier learns to do if he has any intelligence at all is to take care of his feet.  This is the reason we all wear “combat boots” we are ready for a tough exercise of any type.  Rough terrain such as the desert in which the children of Israel wondered for 40 years or even the terrain to which military exercises and combat might be expected.  Do not lend the intelligent person to wear flip flops or bedroom shoes.  In recent years most young people have adapted to athletic footwear and many athletes have made fortunes endorsing such footwear.  More so than any other part of the body. Grey’s anatomy tells us the foot has 26 bones, reason enough for adequate foot care.  As an elderly patient said to me one time, “Doctor. I take good care of my “feets” they got to take me a long way.”

In studying the life of Thomas Jefferson, one of our greatest national leaders, we find he soaked his feet in water daily. My ancestors did the same thing only they added ashes from wood burning stoves to the water. The chemicals from the ash evidently was a great value not only to the skin but to the muscles of the feet.
 
At recent political conventions, flip flops were used to dramatize the way many politicians flip flopped on many questions and political decisions. In most ideologies there are those who say one thing but after election do the exact opposite. The best example of this in modern history is the fact that republican conservatives stressed the need for this country to be financially secure as taught by both conservative Christian religions and every historical document to the president.

Governments like families cannot spend like drunken fools, there is as the great preacher R.G. Lee said in his famous sermon “There is a payday some day.”  Republicans who preached fiscal responsibility while condemning the tax and spending policies of the democrats when they finally were in power in all branches of government, doubled the size of government and spent more foolishly that any democrat had ever dreamed.  It has been the most disgusting episode in recent political history and it will take a long time for the republicans (most of whom still call themselves conservatives) to recover from this financial nightmare of national debt. So it is with individuals who think that a plastic credit card is their ticket to abundance.

Last year, I decided to put in a box every credit card offer that came to me as an individual.  When I finally decided to count them I had 59 of them in 10 months time. Credit card companies of every description were trying to entice me into debt. It’s not easy for me to do anything anymore but, I did take all these credit cards, put them into a plastic bag and sent them to the attorney general of the state of North Carolina, in a letter which I explained the stupidity of government allowing companies to entice citizens into this credit scam, in which they make more money on penalties and late fees than anything else. I did not need a credit card and I do not believe that most of the children and college students who are bombarded by these credit offers. Of course, my efforts in explaining ID theft and the other problems associated with such credit was of little interest to the NCAG, someone from his office, a woman, called and asked if she should “shred the letter and cards I had sent to them.”

A copy of the same letter explaining the ridiculous efforts of companies to enslave citizens to credit was sent to federal officials. The judiciary of this country are the enablers of the credit crunch and recession dilemma in which the entire nation finds itself. With just the scam of credit cards as an example of the financial bailout scandal and banking practices the county has been subjected to in recent years. Since Obama took over, 4.4 trillion dollars has been added to the national debt. This more money than was borrowed by Presidents George Washington through George W. Bush, the national debt is now, since Obama, 14 trillion, this is 14 with twelve zeros (a trillion is one million million dollars). Each man, woman and child is in debt to the government $45,000. There was a time when credit was not only hard to get but the results of not paying on time was a real problem.

In these days of congressional hearings and nauseating variety of excuses from politicians and financial wizards concerning the chaotic dilemma of the entire nation because of the flip flop involving the ambiguity of borrowing money.  We have no one to blame but the senior citizens of this nation who were reared with the responsibility of buying the only things they could pay for and who should have taught their children to do the same and who should have voted for the politicians who had the common sense not to spend this nation into bankruptcy. 

Life is tough and as my wonderful deceased Mother said to me many times , “Money does not grow on trees.” My generation saved, “for a rainy day” my generation, voted for representatives in government who did not bond or borrow to build just anything that constituents desired and spent stupidly in order to buy their votes.  There has been a complete flip flop regarding the responsibility of politicians or pastors who would rather be popular then prudent. Tough times, whether in individual disabilities or catastrophes, family disasters and disputes, or government dilemmas require responsible responses guided by the steady hand of resolute resolve.