Thoughts on "The Election"

I penned this post in 2016. I am scheduling it in early November 2024. The same truths are applicable now. Even before I know the outcome…..

Are you tired of hearing about "The Election"?

Me, too. 

Tired of hearing not only the pundits banter on and on about what it all means but also the everyday folks pontificate the ups and downs for our country come January.

Enough already.

This blog is not that at all. Not about why who won and who lost and what that says about the electorate and what ramifications we can expect.

Instead, I have some thoughts regarding the response of people to the election.  Specifically, the response of Christ-followers. For those that don't know Christ, they can act any way they please but
for those of us who profess to know Him, well, we don't have the right to act the way some of us are acting. Election or otherwise.


Let me begin with the admonition of James:


Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  James 1:20,21
 
As I've watched the behavior of my brothers and sisters before, during and after this election season, I have had lots of thoughts I wanted to spew, uh, share. It's not been that I didn't have some opinions - some strong ones, in fact.  But every time I started to blog it, I was restrained by these verses.
Be quick to hear.
Be slow to speak.
Be slow to anger.


So that's what I have tried to heed.


Doing so has helped me process things and  be prepared to walk as a child of the light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth  Ephesians 5:8,9


Maybe this will encourage you, too.


Be quick to hear.
Other people.  Listen to other people.  Not those who share your same views or convictions or party affiliation. Make it a priority to hear what the "other side" has to say. First. Before you speak,
I'll be honest - I didn't care for either presidential candidate. And I wanted to rant and rave about both of them, just like lots of folks around me. Before, during and after the votes were tallied.
Sometimes I did just that but more and more I found it most helpful not to do that. But rather to listen. First.
To hear the fears and the angst. To listen to the hopes and the heart. To be attentive to the feelings and opinions of people that differ from my own.


I learned a lot.


Be slow to speak.
I can only do this if I am busy listening in order to hear.
Too many times, we are not really hearing but rather just waiting for a break in the conversation so we can have our turn to speak.
Not helpful.
Being slow to speak is helpful. though. Slow to share what we think is so important. Slow to speak aloud the thoughts forming in our mind. Slow to vent the emotions that well up inside when we disagree with what we are hearing.


A lot of pain and brokenness could be avoided if we would be slow to speak. Sometimes our thoughts need to change before we release them into the air. And being slow to speak gives that process a chance to happen.


That's why I waited to blog about the election. I needed to be slow about speaking.


Be slow to anger.
The anger of Christians during this whole season has grieved me. And it has been widespread. From people who took all sorts of positions regarding this casting and tallying time.
Anger over who has been in charge.
Anger over who is going to be in charge.
Anger over whether or not we should even care who's in charge!
Anger directed at people for having a different opinion or goal.
Anger that accuses and divides and shatters.
Anger that is decried by Scripture because it does not achieve God's plan of righteousness (James 1:21) and in fact, is equated with murder. (Matthew 5:21,22)  Yes, murder.


Anger is so dangerous because it is rooted in pride. The mindset that says "my thoughts are so much  better and more important than yours that I insist you change yours to line up with mine". And when that doesn't happen, anger results.


So, given the admonition of James, what are my thoughts about how we should respond? Not my original thought but Chuck Swindoll expresses it so well in a sermon decades ago that I'll borrow it from him:
Nobody act big.
Nobody act small.
Everybody act medium.




Nobody act big.
Whatever your position on the election was or is, don't act big about it. In other words, don't be a jerk. Not smug if your side "won" or indignant if your side "lost" or self-righteous if you didn't take a side. Don't act as though you are better or more important than someone who differs from you.
Because you're not.
So zip your lips and act like a gracious winner/loser/spectator. Refer once more to James on the hearing and speaking part.



Nobody act small.
The fear reaction has been what has shocked me. Remember now, this post is for Christians.  I am not shocked by any reaction of non-Christians. But the fear from my fellow believers has positively shocked me. Don't we know who rules and reigns? Not the winner of any election! Gracious me!

The fear of what might happen now or what could be the fallout. Fear from remarks made by people around them and fear of potential perception. Are you kidding me? If the "losing side" had expressed such fear (or anger) in the previous elections, accusations of racism would have flown faster than a speeding bullet. But this time, the fear response is to be pitied and coddled, even seen as noble. Gracious me. We are not to fear!


So don't fear and don't fuel the fear of those around you, especially the children.
And while I am ranting about not acting small, that includes the smallness of prejudice and unkindness. Don't act that way.


Everybody act medium.
The definition of pride is not only thinking too much of yourself, it's also thinking of yourself too much. Self-focus. That's pride. Acting too big or too small - that's pride.
I would explain "acting medium" as Philippians 2:4 "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also the interests of others".  The perspective God wants us to have is certainly not arrogance but neither is it self-deprecation. This verse tells us that it is reasonable to look out after our own interests...just not at the exclusion of the interests of others. Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves..because, whether we admit it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, we do love ourselves. We protect our own hearts, our own interests, our own preferences and Scripture is exhorting us not to do so at the expense of others.
Act medium.
Not boastful or presumptuous or angry.
And not fearful or pathetic or weak.


And, as the prophet of Daniel did so long ago, let us bless the God of Heaven:
Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings (and presidents) and establishes kings (and presidents); He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him. To Thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise
Daniel 2:20-23

How often we forget....

and the disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in a desolate place to satisfy such a great multitude?” Matthew 15:33

Seeing this verse out of context,I am likely to assume it is the much loved and familiar story of the little boy who offers Jesus his lunch. Out of a mere five rolls and two small fish, Jesus feeds well over 5000 people. But that miracle is recorded a chapters earlier, in Matthew 14:13-21. This particular verse comes later. Jesus has been teaching and healing multitudes of people . The disciples have been on the front row as miracle after miracle have occurred.

Surely we can expect their faith to be strong. Surely, when Jesus says “I have compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat and I do not wish to send them away hungry lest they faint on the way” (Matthew 15:32), these witnesses would answer with resolute conviction “Lord, we know you will take care of everything; just tell us what you want us to do!”

Surely.

Not.

In spite of all they had seen Jesus do, over the past several days, those closest to Him responded with doubt and uncertainty.

Wow. They couldn’t even remember what He had just done in a strikingly similar situation.

Wow. How fragile their faith. How feeble their memory…how disappointingly familiar.

Even though you and I have 66 books that testify to the faithfulness of God, even though we have personally experienced His grace and generosity, we act just like those forgetful disciples, don’t we? How many times have we faced an impossible situation and wrung our hands in anxiety and fear? How many times have we slipped into despair because we couldn’t figure a way out of the conundrum we found ourselves in? How many times have we forgotten Whose we are and what He can do?

Just like those disciples.

If I were Jesus, I’d have been ticked off. At least exasperated. Wouldn’t you? I mean, seriously, not only had His divine power been on display right in front of them for days on end, but also His unparalleled compassion! How could they not “get it”?

How do we not “get it”?

I am so thankful God included this story in His Word. It brings me much encouragement that the disciples were forgetful. That they could know Jesus personally, watch Him function up close and personal, and still not respond in faith.

And the most encouraging, most comforting part is Jesus’s response. He doesn’t get ticked off. Doesn’t even sound exasperated.

He says “How many loaves do you have?” And then proceeds not to admonish them, but instead to bless them with yet another miracle. (vs. 34-39)

Wow.

What a merciful, compassionate, gracious God we serve!

Lord, help us to remember Who You are! Forgive our lack of faith. Help us to call to mind Your faithfulness, Your power, and especially Your love for us. Amen.

Obedience in the "little" things...

Titus 3:1-5 - Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, haring one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

This is such a rich passage, chock full of glorious truth and clear instructions on our behavior. I must’ve read it a zillion times. And checked off all the “little things” I should remember to do.

But I read it recently and a couple of phrases jumped off the page. “Malign no one” and “showing every consideration for all men” Maybe these things are not so little after all. Unpack them with me …

“Malign no one” - what does that mean? To “badmouth” someone. To speak of them critically behind their back. To make them look inferior in someone else’s eyes.

WOW.

“Showing every consideration for all men” The dictionary defines “consideration” as “thoughfulness and sensitivity toward others”. And Scripture makes it quite inclusive - “every” and “all”. Well, that pretty much covers it!

WOW again.

These “little” phrases that are so easy to read quickly and pass over - how does God want us to see them? Probably not so casually.

I don’t know how they strike you, but as they jumped off the page to me, the Holy Spirit brought some things to my mind that didn’t measure up to this standard. I thought of times I had spoken of someone critically, behind their back. Times my actions had not be thoughtful of others’ needs/desires but instead were insensitive and considering only ME. And undoubtedly caused angst or pain to others.

GULP

I probed my heart and wondered why I had acted that way…and what did I need to course correct.

At the root of it all, I think, is pride. A desire to make myself look significant (or at least more significant than the object of my criticism). A mindset that considers my own needs/wants before others. Because I consider myself as more deserving. Consumed with self.

How do I (and you, if these phrases happen to jump out at you as well) repent from this? And “do right”?

It’s interesting that the lecture I was giving myself was quite stern. I was chiding myself and rightly so. But as I read this passage again, I saw that God takes a different approach. Oh, no mistake about it - He does not tolerate sin. He insists that we not treat these behaviors as “little” and thereby dismiss them.

But instead of shaking His finger at us and giving us a terse (yet well-deserved) fussing, what does He do?

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, haring one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

He gently but truthfully reminds us of our past. Of what we, too, are capable of. And when we remember that, maybe we will be less inclined to criticize others of the same things. Then, He directs our hearts towards His kindness. He has every right to be mad at us but instead He reminds us of His love through Jesus. Of our salvation which we received through no merit of our own but only because of the kindness He shows us in Christ.

WOW.

That is powerful.

For transformation. And as example.

Turns out those “little things” aren’t so little, after all.