Election Fatigue

I am tired.

I am ready for this election to be over.

2020 has been hard enough. Pandemics. Shutdowns. Protests. Riots. Wildfires. Hurricanes.

And now we are in the midst of perhaps the most polarized election in history…or at least in recent memory.

Our nation is divided. Deeply divided. One side hates the other…and the other side returns the animosity.

If Lincoln was correct (and he was because he was quoting Jesus), then it doesn’t matter who wins. If the division widens, we all lose.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Is there any way forward?

Can we come to some sense of common ground?

I think it is possible…but it will not be easy.

It will require humility…the realization that none of us has perfect knowledge or unbiased objectivity.

It will require perspective…a willingness to see things from the other side…or at least see the weaknesses of your own side.

It will require relationships…a real-life connection with other people who are different than you…a commitment to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…a pursuit of the kind of other-centered love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

And it will require discernment…a recognition that our post-modern, post-truth, media-saturated, social media-driven culture intentionally feeds our self-centered nature, tells us what we want to hear, and often keeps us angry and divided while we are stuck in our own echo chambers.

Even if our society cannot find common ground, my prayer as a pastor is that the church can stand on common ground.

We really have no other choice if we claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the midst of a contentious, conflicted, confusing culture, believers can stand united and move forward together on at least five truths.

1. God is sovereign. He rules over the nations of the earth. He raises up leaders and brings them down. He works all things according to the counsel of His will. No election threatens His dominion.

2. Jesus is Lord. We follow one King. We serve one kingdom. Our identity is found in no political candidate or party. It is found in Christ alone.

3. Scripture is our authority. The Word of God confronts, convicts, corrects, and changes us. It is God’s truth to guide us. It is God’s mirror to reveal the motives of our heart. It doesn’t submit to us…we submit to it. If you can’t think of one opinion, thought, or action in your life that has been confronted by the Word of God lately, then you haven’t been reading God’s Word correctly…or humbly…or at all.

4. No candidate perfectly aligns with biblical truth. I know that there are Trump lovers and Trump haters. I have talked with both. Neither side can fathom how the other side can see things the way they do. Instead of seeing Trump or Biden (or any political candidate for that matter) as “all good” or “all bad,” it is better to see them accurately…as flawed individuals who represent flawed people in flawed political systems. Thus the choice in any election is always a mixed bag of good and bad…sometimes more bad than good. No candidate is a perfect choice…despite what you may think.

5. Every believer should pray for wisdom when voting. Since there is no perfect candidate, then there is no perfect vote. Thus, a believer should enter the voting booth having done their best to seek the Lord’s wisdom, evaluating the candidates and issues to the best of their ability, and voting with humility (because we all see things imperfectly), thankfulness (because we have the privilege to vote), and some level of tension (because we are always supporting a flawed candidate or party to some degree).

And when you step out of the voting booth, you can look up and remind yourself, “My hope is not in this world.”

No candidate…party…amendment…or law…can usher in the kingdom of God.

And no candidate…party…amendment…or law…can stop it from coming.

So even though I am tired…

Tired of the division…the animosity…the turmoil…the uncertainty…

I am not discouraged.

My confidence is in a higher election.

One that was determined before the foundation of the world.

One that holds me secure until the day of redemption.

And one that calls me to a different kind of life in this present world.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. And to all these virtues add love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:12-14)

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