In case you were not aware, some years ago Jill and I decided to not watch the news as much as we once did. There was a lot of negativity and it seemed like the same reports filled the local and national news. This was our individual choice, not something we think everyone should do. There are times when this practice may cause some confusion when we do not have information that others possess, but we have stuck to the practice, nonetheless. Now, to be fair, I will on occasion look online to get some information about something I have heard about from others.

However, we do not watch local or national news on a consistent basis. What does this have to do with anything? The point is that there was an article that caught my attention recently. It had to do with the tariffs that President Trump is imposing on other countries' goods. The article was about India and how certain sectors there are calling for boycotts of American products/companies and for consumers to choose only India made products/companies. That interests me for many reasons. The main reason is that I travel there on mission trips and any anti-American sentiment is not a good thing. Hopefully, the two countries will come to a reasonable trade agreement soon.

The thought also came to me, that I do not fully understand tariffs. Found out after some quick online research that it is another word for tax. A company puts a tariff on imported products from other countries to raise money for the government. Interesting that foreign entities are then funding our government. Also, interesting that this practice has been used to pressure other governments to comply with the desires or demands.

Having no idea how any of these tariff tactics will play out for the USA or any other country is another thought that came to mind. One thing that I will be praying for is that India and the US be peaceful and cooperative. That is so Christians there can have a peaceful life, and that missionaries are allowed to continue to travel there and be fruitful.

One last thought was that God is in control and governments come and go. God is bigger than any tariff war. He will cause things to work together for good (Romans 8:28). May we all pray for peace among all the nations and that God will allow American Christians to continue to worship and lead a peaceful life.