North Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio. In the past month I have received text messages (and calls I didn’t answer) from people wanting Diana to send money to candidates in each of these states. And if I didn’t send it to them, then the other team would win, and the world would be doomed. A few things you should know: 1) Of the seven states listed I’ve only lived in three of them. 2) When I was about 18 years old, I borrowed my mom’s new cell phone, never gave it back, and I’ve had the same number ever since. 3) My mom’s name is NOT Diana. I despise election season.
This year’s elections, like every other election I can remember, is being touted as the most important election ever. While I do think it is important for you to get out there and vote, or mail in your ballot two weeks ago, I have yet to find a candidate or political party that is special enough to ruin relationships over. And it’s a cruel joke that elections always hit right before the big family gathering holidays.
However, as followers of Christ we can choose peacemaking. We can refuse the bait when someone tries to start and argument. You can say, “it’s okay that we disagree, your political opinions will not change the love I have for you as a person.”
Paul says it this way in Romans 5:1-5: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
I pray that you are a follower of Christ first. I pray that you know that you are justified by the faith you have, not the person you voted for. We can be patient. We can be long-suffering. We can be peacemakers.