Actions Over Words

 

There is a particular story from the Bible which I have always found very interesting. You can read it in Matthew 21: 28-32. Here’s the short version. A man has two sons. He goes to the first one and asks him to go work in the fields. The son says “No,” but later goes and works. The man asks his second son to work and he says “Yes,” but he doesn’t go.

Jesus asks his listeners, “Which one of the sons did the will of his father?” I guess the obvious point of the parable is that what you say and what you do are not always the same. And most of us would agree that what you do is what counts the most.

All my life I have heard the old adage that actions speak louder than words. Like the parable, the lesson to be learned is that what you do is more important than what you say (when the two are contradictory). Or at the very least, what you do says more about who you are than mere words.

In November, we have an extremely crucial Presidential election. As always, the candidates have and will continue to spend an extraordinary amount of time and money telling us what they will do if elected. But if we believe the parable and the adage, the more important question is not what will they say, but what will they actually do? Voters should consider this carefully.

Fortunately, we have a very good way to evaluate that question. As Dr. Phil frequently says, “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” (Credited to many writers, but generally attributed to Walter Mischel) So, let’s take a few moments to consider, not what they’ve said, but what Donald Trump and Joe Biden have actually done to deserve our vote.

Consider the President. The mainstream media have done everything they can to smear his reputation, predominantly by condemning the things he has said (or supposedly said). Whether by twisting his words, taking them completely out of context, assigning their own interpretation of his motives, or just flat out lying about his words (in many cases despite overwhelming evidence that he said no such things). Be sure when considering his words that you take into account who is doing the reporting and how accurate the information is that is being conveyed.

In the face of the nearly continuous resistance, the President has accomplished a great deal in the last three years. In particular, the economy, new trade agreements, strengthening our military, working to fix our health care system, and the record low unemployment (especially for minorities and women, some of the very people he is often accused of disparaging with words). Read the following post from the Conservative Hangout for a complete list of his major accomplishments: https://www.facebook.com/Conservhangout/posts/165607844986700?__tn__=K-R The White House has a comprehensive list as well: https://www.whitehouse.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/ 

(Of course, the pandemic, specifically the shutdowns and lockdowns have had a devastating effect on the country, but voters should consider carefully, based on their records, which candidate is most capable of rebuilding our economy? And do you believe that the virus has been handled well or poorly by the current administration? And would the other candidate have handled things any differently?)

Now, let’s consider former Vice President, Joe Biden. Obviously a more polished politician (ignoring of course, his more recent history of gaffes caused by a decided mental decline). Perhaps he is a better speaker, at least with a teleprompter handy, but do we vote for someone based on his ability to give a good speech from the comfort of his own home while totally avoiding the campaign trail? And speaking of his words, what’s with the absolute refusal to answer questions about packing the Supreme Court? What are we to think of a candidate who says we can find out what he’s going to do, after we elect him?

And speaking of what he might do, Biden has a LONG career in public service. Sadly, his actions over the years are troubling to say the least. Forty-seven years in office and what has he actually done? His early years are marred by his ties to segregationists and his well-known fight against busing. (Speaking of words, here are some of his from the time: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-racial-jungle-quote/). An earlier run for President was derailed by a plagiarism scandal. In the 90s, he championed the law enforcement policies and authored the bill that had terrible consequences for the African-American community. (Yet he says, if you don’t vote for him, “You ain’t black.”) Currently, there is a growing mountain of evidence of corruption involving himself, his son, the Ukraine, and China.

To conclude, as much as we would all love to have a President who speaks well, and says all the right things, and never offends anyone, that may not be the most important consideration. I would encourage everyone to judge these two men, not by their words, but by their actions. Then pray, then vote.