I didn't vote for Obama or Romney, but I'm very happy with the results of the election. Am I sad "my candidate" didn't win? Sure. But I knew it would happen like this, and Obama was a very close second for me.
Regardless, I'd prayed on the election yesterday and turned to scripture, prepared to have to come to terms with a candidate I didn't want to see in office winning. And I hope that had Romney won, I wouldn't have acted the way so many Christian brothers and sisters across the country acted on facebook. Friends, remember:
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." Titus 3:1-2
There were some sad comments on facebook. And a lot of the typical, "I'm moving to Canada," "God help our country," "We are doomed," etc. But what made me so sad about it this time, what was so different than 2008, was that this time, I saw the election through the eyes of a Christian devoted to God. In 2008, I had virtually no relationship with God. I had just a small handful of Christian friends. This time, I have a lot more Christian friends and I follow quite a few pastors on facebook. And I saw more bitter and hateful words being flung around at each other after the election was declared last night than I saw Christians who voted the other way being gracious or following the Bible's commands. I expected to be so happy when it was done...because that would mean it was done. But as it turned out, I ended up more depressed when it was all over. I'd expected better, more. I'd expected grace and respect. After all, my news feed is filled with Christians. But I suppose we're all sinners, so to give into the sinful nature of ourselves to be hateful and/or selfish isn't completely surprising.
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
Friends, please remember that we are united in CHRIST. Please remember grace. Most importantly, please remember that God is our ultimate leader. And that He establishes authority here on earth. Please remember to pray for your President, whether you like him or don't. And please remember that Obama is just a man. He is a man with feelings. He is a dad and a husband and a brother in Christ. It's okay to be disappointed. It's not okay to be mean.
Honestly, when you boil it down, we are all so similar in our beliefs. We all want virtually the same outcome. We may see different paths to get there, but our end goals are more aligned than most of us even realize. Let's truly put it all behind us and move forward, together. As long as this bitter divide continues, it will not get better. No Republican or Democrat can accomplish great things when the parties hate each other the way they do right now. Remember that.
A sweet friend of mine posted this on facebook, and I think you just couldn't sum it up better than this: "With all of the 'May God have mercy on us all's' muttered in defeat, you'd think we did something other than elect a Christian president who is committed to caring for the sick and the poor."
I too saw some very disappointed people, but I think what I saw most was heart ache. I read a ton of posts about people being gracious and kind to one another, but didn't see nearly so many people biting at each other, we do have different friends so I dont doubt that you saw what you did.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the same and different page as you. I voted 3rd party but sincerely hoped that everyone who knew that was wrong and that Romney would still get the majority vote. The thing I'm eager to find out is 'did my vote matter'... if the percentage of people voting for 3rd parties went up from the last election then I feel it did, if not, then I don't. Hopefully next election we will have better options. I will always vote with my heart and my morals, and with serious prayer on every issue big and small, I will never assign myself a candidate based on a party.
Yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with disappointment, in my opinion. I would have been disappointed if Romney had won. Nothing wrong with that! We can be sad or fearful without being mean and vicious, and to be mean in the name of God is just low. A lof of Christians posting on pages of pastor's I "like" on FB saying some really awful things and then slapping a "God help us," "God have mercy on us," "God is my King" on the end, like that somehow makes it better. In my opinion, it makes it much worse because as Christians we are supposed to bring glory to God, and attacking other parties and then attaching that to God's name is doing the opposite. :(
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