Clarity makes things easier to swallow

As you may already know, there is a possible gov't shutdown because congress can't agree on a budget on capital hill.  This shutdown would affect my family if it's for an extended period of time.  We wouldn't get paid and our one grocery store would shut down on base.  I actually have been upset about it, but for different reasons than you might think.  What upsets me about it is the fact that they would not pay the people who are protecting our country and rely on that paycheck for their families.  A lot of the families, one of the spouses are serving away while the other holds down the fort at home.  Without a paycheck, a lot of these families would be in trouble.  What upsets me is that congress would still continue to get paid while the people who keep our country safe would be denied funds for their service.  It seems unjust to me; severely unjust.
God has kept me reasonably calm about my own family's needs and we went shopping last night to stock up on some food before it could be shut down today.  However, without a paycheck for our family, we would not do well at all.  We recently moved (as you know) and have spent a lot of money this first year here trying to get our house together and such.  We need to go home this summer and sell off our mini van and our condo; after that we will be able to breathe better and dig our feet into our new adventure at bit more.  We feel called to stay with this job and to continue our service overseas.  I don't believe we will be coming home anytime soon except to visit over the summers.

Now, back to the issue of clarity...
This morning it was made clear to me what this whole budget crisis is about.  The pieces are starting to come together and make more sense.  The republicans have some say now in congress, but the Democrats (last year) had the chance to pass the budget when they had control over both the house & senate, but they waited until after the election.   They didn't want the public to see what they were planning on doing with the budget.  Now, there is a divide in congress, and this is where the sticking point is:  The republicans don't want to fund planned parenthood anymore and don't want to pay for other's abortions and some of the most horrific ways to kill an infant as that little person/soul is being delivered.  I personally don't want that either.  I personally, am willing to forgo a paycheck and trust in God's grace to pull us through this time.  However, not everyone is on the same vision.  I believe in America, many hearts have turned callus towards the most vulnerable on our earth.  My heart has not, and I feel very deeply for protecting the elderly, physically challenged, and the very young.  I will stand firm in what is precious to God's heart:  life & love.  I will not back down and I will trust.  I have no fear.  I am also not afraid to die for what I believe.  I know where I stand, do you?

Update:

No government shutdown is going to happen this year.  We'll see what happens next.

News article to explain click here