I think our nation is disintegrating already. We are treating one another with disrespect while discussing the election, to the point of losing friendships and normalizing hatred. Police officers in Iowa (and other places) are hunted down and assassinated. Suicides among children are the highest ever. Our African American loved ones are terrified of being stopped by the authorities. The Standing Rock Nation, and all indigenous peoples, are continuing to face hostility toward their inherent right to exist and thrive. They face the marginalization that has marked the US response to Native peoples for centuries.
And that's just the problems in the USA that come to mind without thinking!
Wednesday won't be much different. Neither will next January after the inauguration.
Things won't get different until we get different. Until we remember that among the United States' fundamental beliefs are:
1. Out of many, one (people);
2. In God we trust;
3. Liberty;
4. Equality; and
5. Diversity.
Until we begin to live like we believe that others are as important as ourselves and that being different doesn't mean that a person is worse, our country will continue to disintegrate. And yes, I deeply believe we all need to trust in God, but I also respect the rights of others to believe differently than I do.
As a Christian, there is one more vital thing to remember as we approach the election: God is in control. Always. In all ways. We know how this story ends; we know that we are in God's arms. So let's rest easy in that fact. Let's treat people who trust the "other" candidate with respect. Let's not get into arguments about which is the "Christian" candidate. Let's not try to bully others to agree with us.
Make your decision. Remember it's yours.
And vote, so that your voice is heard.
And alongside that, treat each other with love, as Jesus commands, and with respect, as Jesus demonstrated through his life.
God will still be in control on Wednesday, no matter who wins on Tuesday.
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