How to Face an Election Year Bravely

I received an e-mail from a reader a couple weeks ago.  Her name is Shirley.  She recently came upon the blog and she is a mother of six.  Oh, and she is 81 years old.

Shirley wrote to encourage me about living brave.  She shared a little bit about what that has looked like for her over the years – in a bad marriage and a re-marriage, in a busy home, raising six children and now, as a widow, with all of the “time she wished for when she was younger”.   She shared how she tries to live brave with the “human years and energy” that she has left.  It was beautiful to read.

Shirley reminded me that life demands our courage at every age, that comfort zones come easy, but a brave life is always an intentional choice and that the principles of a courage are ageless.  Shirley is choosing brave. 

 

Shirley began to tell me that she has become more politically aware, more politically active, in her later years.  She wrote of how…

     “…in the small world of babies, toddlers, going off to school children – there just plain wasn’t the time to care about who to vote for even. I followed my husband to the voting booth and copied what he did.”

Yet she related how much the world has changed since then, how she is concerned for our country, our falling apart families, our falling behind children, all of it.   And then she wrote these words:

 

“I spend a lot of my time in prayer, I share my views, what I’ve learned, and I lead a women’s Bible study in my home. I’m trying to do my little part with what I have left in human years and energy. But the baton has to be passed on to the young mothers. How to inspire them to look beyond the daily chores and become informed. I don’t know if that is part of the plan for this site or not, but in choosing to live brave, women also have to look outside of themselves and see the broader picture, the neighborhood, the city they live in, the country as a whole and even the world which is growing smaller in many ways. There is a lot to consider in choosing brave!”

 

My heart sank a little as I read her words. I love the idea of this 81 year old woman taking the time to write to me.  I love that she knows how to use Facebook even and that she is making the most of each day that she has left.  I love that she is bold of enough to write and encourage me and yet challenge me as well.

But I don’t want to write about politics.

I don’t.

 

I used to care more for politics than I do now.  I grew up in a politically aware atmosphere and I left home with a love for watching debates and following the process.  Today, I can hardly stomach the rhetoric, because how does a person even begin to dissect truth from the skewed perspectives and contrived speeches all wrapped up in a plot to sway a disengaged public and defame and demoralize their opponent?

No thanks.  I don’t want to write about politics.

And beyond all of the accusations, who is even worthy of the job?  How do you talk politics when you feel like you are left choosing between bad and worse?  How is this winning when you feel like you are casting your vote for people who aren’t even honest…or trustworthy…or kind?

I’m sorry, Shirley, but I really don’t want to talk about politics.

 

But then I began to wonder, what does brave look like in all of this?  Where is God in all of this?  Where is truth and light and hope in all of this?

And I remembered; He told us already.

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Pray. Seek. Turn.

A formula, almost.

You know what I realized?  Politics scare me.  It scares me to talk about politics because I hardly know right from wrong in that arena anymore.  I don’t know who is telling the truth and who is completely faking it.  But when I take all of that in my hands and begin to sift it out,  I find there are three things I know to be true:

1. We are called to Pray, Seek and Turn.

2. No vote, is always a vote.  Opting out is not an option because the majority will rule.  The loud and passionate and angry will rule.  Decisions will be made.  Not choosing is always choosing.    

3. God sees all things, knows all things and He is here no matter what the outcome of an election.  If we believe that, we have nothing to fear.

 

We’re tired and frustrated, disappointed and disillusioned, with politics. I get it.  But tuning out is not brave, friends.  Shirley is right.  Our country and our families are in decline.  Very lives hang in the balance of this vote and we cannot look away.

So this is what I propose.

I want to pray more than I talk (or write) about it.

I want to ask God to guide me, guide you and guide our country.

I want to seek His wisdom, authority and leadership when it all looks like a muddled mess.

And I want to vote bravely, confidently, trusting Him to lead me, knowing He is in the business of beauty from ashes, that His word will not return void and we know how the story ends.

 

 

Want to join me?  

Want to bow humbly and faithfully, pray earnestly and fervently and vote bravely, together?

 

I’m committing to this for the month of October.  I’ll send out an e-mail on October 1st with an outline for daily prayers and scriptures we will pray.  We’ll ask for wisdom and guidance, for healing and forgiveness for the future of our country and its leaders.  We’ll ask for courage and a holy boldness to not tune out, but instead, to turn to Him.  

Thank you, Shirley, for boldly coaxing me onward, for being a Titus 2 kind of woman and for allowing me to share your words here.  At 81 years old your little e-mail to one, has now been passed on to thousands.  What a beautiful example you are.

So join us won’t you?  Shirley and I, we’re committed to prayer.  We’re going to spend the next 30 days intentionally praying about the upcoming election.  We are fighting fear with prayer.  Fearing God and living brave.

I won’t be sending these prayer prompts to my entire list so even if you are a current subscriber be sure to enter your e-mail address below and confirm your subscription if you’d like to join us.  And her ready to face this election year, bravely!