I have been mostly silent on social media regarding the upcoming election, but on the eve of a day that holds so much emotion, turmoil, and anxiety for many, I wanted to gather my thoughts in a good old-fashioned blog. I rarely do this anymore, but somehow, I could still recognize the signs that a blog post was imminent. It usually starts as a thought “hmm, maybe I should write something about this.” This is followed by an immediate dismissal of said thought… “No, I don’t want to do that. No one cares what I think. I don’t have time…etc.”. Then the thought comes back, sporadically at first, but then again and again, with greater frequency and intensity, nagging at me until I relent. When I go back and look at past blogs where this has been the case, I often realize in hindsight why I wrote it. Only then can I see the lesson that I could not see when I was writing it. Because of that, I’ve realized two things about blogs like this, (1) It’s more for me than for whoever is reading it and (2) The nagging thoughts bear a striking resemblance to the very specific and familiar way the Holy Spirit nags me to do all sorts of things I don’t want to do. Soooo although I have not wanted to do this, I’m going to do it. Deep breath. Don’t worry, this will not be an endorsement of anyone, nor will it be an appeal to people regarding who I think they should vote for or against.
Every election season since I can remember has felt like the most divisive, and (we’ve been told) “most important in our lifetime”. If I’m honest, I kind of think it has been true. Each time has been more divisive than the previous, and each time the stakes do seem higher than ever. What is also self-evidently true that our political climate and culture is evolving, or perhaps more accurately, devolving into something many do not recognize. Maybe this is a result of getting older, but from where I stand, it seems like rhetoric, divisiveness, scary scenarios and world events are collectively ramping up in intensity and temperature with each passing election cycle. A healthy self-governed country needs informed citizens who can engage in robust, open debate of ideas and issues. Unfortunately our loss of trust in institutions and commonly accepted information sources has combined with increased balkanization and intolerance for the opinions of others, making civil discourse an endangered species. This has served to guarantee further divisiveness and toxicity, which is becoming a feedback loop that just makes us more cynical, insular, miserable, and divided. We all know families, marriages and friendships that have been sacrificed at this alter of political tribalism. Because of all this some people have become apathetic, others more silent, and others defiantly become more vitriolic. None of this is a revelation to anyone. We all feel it, we all experience it, and I think we all hate it. (Can we at least all unite around that?)
I have heard and read many comments across the political spectrum about the fears people have about this election. Not just about who wins, but also about how the country and the candidates will respond to who wins. I share those fears. But thankfully I have hope that is greater than my fears and have tried to put politics in its rightful place on the “priority list” of my life. If you have known me for more 10 or more years, you will likely note (and hopefully had already noticed) this is a huge change for me. (Sidebar the way God continues to change me, and my heart is unexplainable and amazing). A key benefit of putting politics into the right perspective and priority in my life is that I can go into the election day with much less anxiety and stress than I would have had otherwise. Another benefit is that I can see every other person going to cast their votes as a human being with worth and value that is not conditional to how they vote. This has brought me peace and joy during a time where I would previously have had the opposite. So while I won’t make an appeal to you of who to vote for, I will make an appeal to you to put politics in its rightful place in your life, both for your benefit and for the benefit of those you care most about. One day, we will be at the end of our lives, and I am certain in those last moments, the people in your life will matter more to you than who you and they voted for. I believe most people, both regular voters and politicians, have good intentions behind their votes/policies. I don’t think most people are really against other groups of people, want to destroy the country, are pro-harm, pro-death, pro-war, pro-poverty, pro-environmental destruction, etc. While some people are just evil, and malevolent forces may be at work behind the scenes, I do not think the average voter is in that camp. Most believe their views/candidate/party of choice are what is right, moral, just, best for the country, etc. I am choosing to extend the assumption of good will to those with whom I disagree. With the children we love watching us, we can set a better example than hate, name calling, canceling, vilifying and disparaging each other. Being hateful, even when standing up against hate, is corrosive and serves to multiply hate. Hate never overcomes hate. (Romans 12:17-18) More than how we vote, how we treat others is the true evidence of virtue. Kindness, love, mercy and grace are most important, when extended to people for whom it is hard to do so. Anyone can be kind, loving, merciful and graceful to those we like and agree with. But can you love the person who stands against the thing(s) you care the most about? Can you be kind to the person who voted for someone you find reprehensible? While each side likes to claim Jesus would be on their team (I have opinions about that too), I think what we should focus on is that Jesus taught the radical idea of love your enemies. (Please don’t consider people on the other side the aisle to be your enemies, that’s not what I am saying!). He taught it is not enough to love only those it is easy to love.
Candidly, I know I have done my part to contribute to the toxic environment we are in. I have been divisive, partisan, unkind…all the things. I have a lot of regret about that and I have tried to correct those things over the years. I am a work-in-progress and like our beloved freeways in DFW, I’m sort of perpetually “under construction”. With that in mind, this is what I am trying to do this year:
· Hold true to my values and vote the way my conscience leads me
· Love others no matter who they voted for
· Have (offline) thoughtful civil discourse with anyone who is able to do so and wants to do so
· Accept the results of the election
· Reject fear, cynicism, tribalism, hate, despair, arrogance or any other type of reaction we would label as “poor sportsmanship” if we saw it a sporting event
· Have hope no matter the results (There are so many unexpected byproducts of faith, but I think peace in uncertainty is one of the best ones.10 out of 10 recommend).
· Give grace to others
· Accept that some people will hate me, judge me, be unkind to me, make assumptions about me that are not true…just because of my political views, but I will not let that change me
I hope this has given even one person something helpful, but even if it has not, I know this….future me will definitely mine this blog for gold, finding the lessons I can’t yet see…I look forward to that.
I’ll close with this passage from Colossians 3 that I just love.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
p.s. if you want to know more about Jesus, let me know
