Thursday, January 29, 2009

Removing the Governor from office

Today, the Illinois General Assembly is, more than likely, going to sustain the Articles of Impeachment against Governor Rod Blagojevich. Given what happened in the media when Rep. Milt Patterson voted against the Governor's impeachment in the House, it's unlikely the any Senator will vote against the conviction.

On the one hand, this is justice for the State of Illinois. But on the other hand, my heart hurts for this man and his family. Don't get me wrong - I think he needs to be removed from office. But can you imagine waking up in the morning, knowing that what you face in the next few hours is not only going to ruin your career, but will be the beginning of severe legal troubles and impact your family in a horrible way?

I guess what I'm asking each of you to think about today is how you would feel in Governor Blagojevich's shoes. Imagine how it feels when he looks at his little girls tonight and has to tell them that their daddy no longer has a job. Imagine how it feels to look your spouse in the eye and no that nothing he or she can say can fix this situation. Imagine how it feels to be in the middle of a crowd of people who want you removed from your job, and most of them really don't like you.

Yes, we need justice. When someone does something wrong, there are consequences that should follow. But we need to remember two things to temper that desire to see justice served: first, none of us is without sin; and second, we are called to forgive and restore. Christ died and rose for those two things. So even if you're happy that Governor will be removed from office, please pray for him and his family, because there are some dark times ahead for them.

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