I know there are people who enjoy politics, people who relish the thought of debating which candidate is the best (or worst) and why. I also know that there are people who have fun playing devil’s advocate, stirring up discussions which sound an awful lot like arguments. If you are someone who enjoys politics, debate, and discussion, more power to you, but I am not like you. When campaign season starts, I’d like nothing more than to find a cave and hibernate until Election Day is over. I value my right to vote, so I don’t actually hide, but I dream of that quiet, peaceful cave where there are no insults, no lies, and no bickering. Any other potential cave dwellers out there?

This current election is the most contentious one I ever remember, and the thought of casting my ballot for either major candidate makes me physically ill. What bothers me most, though, are the people casting out judgments on those who don’t vote like they do. I am so weary of statements like “You must be a ________ if you don’t vote for Candidate X,” “You can’t call yourself a Christian if you vote for Candidate Y,” or the ever-popular “You are throwing your vote away if you vote for Candidate Z.” Are you paralyzed at the thought of making the wrong decision in the election? Do you feel judged for voting your conscience? Are you overwhelmed by the number of people who are trying to define you based on this one vote? If, like me, you can relate to these questions, just stop for a moment, breathe deeply, and hear these truths.

  • No matter who the President is, God is still the King.
  • Salvation comes not from a donkey or an elephant, but from the Lamb.
  • You are not defined by your vote, but by your relationship with Jesus Christ.

I was struck by a comment I read on Facebook about how you would expect Christians to hold a bigger sway over the outcome of an election. What if, instead of arguing for one candidate or the other, we all made a commitment to pray every day from now until the election that God’s will be done? What if we continued to pray every day for our leaders, our country, and the world at large? What if, instead of building walls of anger between “them” and “us,” we built bridges of love and respect? I don’t know if we could sway an election, but I think, with God’s help, we could change the world, or at least our little part of it.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:35, 37-39

 

Disclaimer: I do not mean this post to be a forum for debate, politics, or arguments. Your vote is yours alone, and I will not tell you my political leanings, nor ask for yours, for not even highly contested elections can separate us from God’s love.