Exploring the Gray: Politics
On the day of the presidential debate, I sliced my knee open with an orbital sander and ended up in the E.R. And honestly? It was still better than watching the debate.
Politics, by their nature, have always been divisive. This year, however, leaves previous elections in the dust.
Every time I open my news feed, I see people (on both sides of the aisle) demeaning and attacking each other for their opinions.
Rather than respectful disagreement, there’s open hostility.
Rather than civil discourse, there's a sense of superiority in political affiliation.
Rather than seeking to understand other points of view, there's shaming others for daring to think differently.
I don’t live under a rock. I realize there's a lot of corruption in our government. I realize things are bad and broken. 2020 hasn’t been kind to most of us.
But I don’t think that one presidential election is enough to totally change the way things are.
One election also shouldn’t be enough to burn relational bridges. One election shouldn’t cause us to become so invested in the politics about caring for people that we actually hurt people in the process.
By all means, vote! You have a voice—a gift so many around the world don’t have.
And yet, I believe that in order to love our neighbors, we can’t simply vote like we love them. We need to act like it, too—even when we disagree.
As Christians, we’re called to love God and His people— and to submit humbly to authority.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:30-31
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
Romans 13:1-2
If our political behaviors prevent us from doing that, then maybe we need to re-think some things. Our hope is not in politics (praise be to God)!
My prayer for you, for my neighbor, for this nation, is one of truth and peace. It seems like a big order to fill, especially in this contentious season, but we serve a God who's present in these gray and messy spaces.