Feeling The Affects of a Government Shutdown

If someone told me that I would be affected by a government shutdown, I might not have believed them. The government has shut down before now. I know that it has done it too frequently lately but it hasn't really affected me until now.

You may ask how it has affected me. The fact is that government shutdowns affect government services. Some of those services directly affect my quality of life. For instance, processing benefits have slowed considerably. There is also a concern that some benefits won't be processed at all due to the shutdown. I am affected when I know that those benefits are desperately needed. I don't know and can't speculate what will happen if those benefits aren't processed. The Lord knows what I need.

I am affected when I hear about the strife happening around me. I don't want to get into it but can't help but be drawn into it. I try not to focus on my own selfish needs here. It isn't productive to dwell on those needs. Yet I do feel stuck wondering what I can do to ease the tension and meet the needs of the people around me. I pray for peace.

There are some lessons to be learned here. We can wallow in despair feeling that everyone is against you or we can take courage and move forward. We can't compromise, even when it hurts. Compassion has to be tempered with common sense.

It has been hard to watch the mainstream media's take and the congress's take on the current situation. I'm trying to have an open mind on why this is happening now. I'm also trying to look at both sides and find the logical explanation for the shutdown. Congress is not giving any logical reasons why they won't allow those funds to be dispersed. Frankly, it has become terribly expensive and frustrating to listen to the "talk" and not see any action.