My ballot sits lonely on the counter. Unopened, untouched. I thought I would know by now. I thought I knew.
But the weight of the decisions feels heavy, messy, hard.
What does righteousness look like in a situation like this? How much am I willing to compromise? How much am I willing to concede, ignore?
I’m afraid I don’t know all of the answers.
I get that this decision is about more than a president. I understand that it is about a conversion of leadership, supreme court justices, advisors. It isn’t about name calling and who did what, said what, admitted what; it’s about real issue that affect real lives, real futures.
And so it feels weighty.
I also live in a state where the popular vote, and thus the electoral college, has not once agreed with my personal vote in my nearly 20 years of voting. So I hear the Debbie Downers chide, it doesn’t matter here anyway.
And yet I still believe it does. I believe that conviction matters. I believe that righteousness always matters.
Yet there my ballot sits.
I loathe it a bit, this process, this liberty gone awry. The weight of choosing “right” when it seems so hard to tell right from wrong anymore is suffocating. I’m not sure it’s even possible to know who is telling the truth and who cannot be trusted.
But what if this election, what if my vote, is less about choosing one person or another, and more about my heart?
Just as I believe I can’t make all the right parenting decisions on my own, might the very same be true of my vote?
In the same manner that I’m trusting God with my children, I must also trust God with the future of my country.
What if I’m fighting and fretting to pick the right candidate when God is more acutely interested in my surrendered heart – a heart that trusts that He really does remove kings and raise them up (Daniel 2:21), a heart that does not look at the temporary things which are seen, but the unseen things which are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) and a heart that really knows, truly believes, that no matter who is president, Jesus is king.
Can we believe that? Boldly?
So this is where I land.
I do not serve a God of confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
I know that He can do everything and no purpose of His can be withheld. (Job 42:2)
I believe all things work together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
So maybe, just maybe, God is calling us to this. Go on and respect your right to vote. Take it seriously, seek Him faithfully, but do not be consumed with anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7). Vote bravely, fully trusting in the God who is and always will be sovereign.
Your vote, this election, our future, is in His hands. Let’s live like we believe it.
My ballot is filled out – that is – most of it, all except the major one. Who is to be president? All the people I respect are saying Trump or else we’ll have Obama all over again, with Hilliary. But how can I vote for someone I have no respect for? Someone who does not represent what the leader of our country should look like. He has a good running mate, Pence seems to be the man of God that Trump isn’t, will he have that much of an influence on Trump to make up for Trump’s lack of common decency? I’ve prayed, oh how I’ve prayed and wished I didn’t have to make a choice. To write in someone I admire might satisfy my conscience but would it be the right thing to do? Time is getting short and I need to make the decision soon. I’m looking for a last minute miracle here, God help us all make the decision that You would want us to make. We know that no matter who is sitting in the White House after this election, You are still in control!
Yes this is a time that God has laid a very difficult decision at our feet – I will rise to the challenge!!
Amen. My ballot sits on my table. We will be out of the country on Election Day. I almost don’t want to know anything until we get back. “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”
Such a hard one. My ballot is still sitting as well 🙁
A friend gave me some great insights yesterday. I have tended to look at this as voting for the best of two evils, which kills me. But I could also choose to look at this as voting for the best of the two options presented to me and bravely trusting God with the rest. Somehow that helps me clarify.
That’s how I am looking at it. I’ve given my vote over to God, realizing that this is the option I have, like it or not. So while I guess I’ve always known who I was going to vote for, it wasn’t because I wanted to. But I have read many wise words that all draw the same conclusion. God sits on His throne. He saw all this before it happened. And we have to choose to live our lives that we really believe His words. That our future is His, regardless of who sits in the presidency. And I’m convicted more than ever to live small, to see those around me through His eyes, and to still allow myself to be used by Him. It’s hard, to fight against the fears of “what if” but all we can do is go forward, one step at a time, trusting and believing God is who He says He is and always will be. It’s not going to be an easy road ahead, but I’m comforted by the fact that even if I liked the choices for president, it still wouldn’t be an easy road ahead because this life and following Jesus isn’t an easy life anyway. I hope that believers can unite in the call He’s given us to love others and to be Light in the darkness.
Well written. Thanks for another encouraging bit of insight. Love your posts.
Thank you, Brittany!
You are so right on the mark. One must follow there heart as God leads you, voting is a very personal and yet serious right for every individual citizen that has been paid for and upheld by patriots since the beginning of our nation. When you follow your heart that follows after God your never wrong.
How blessed am I to have a dad that has lived out and taught me just that? <3
You are so right it is “In His Hands”. I have also been on the fence for months but came to the conclusion that everyone must choose an issue which is closest to their heart. For me it has always been about the children and their future. Integrity and ethics are what we teach our kids no matter what! I could never vote for a candidate whose entire life has centered around lying & conspiring. There are much bigger issues on the table than crude language and unsophisticated behavior -Abortion,nuclear war etc.. We are praying that good will win over evil and that our country will not be torn down any further. And yes again each candidate has their faults but these faults must be weighed logically & put into perspective.
This is wisdom, Suzann. Thank you.