Midterm Meditations

I awoke earlier than normal yesterday. It was probably a combination of a loaded mind and adjusting to the time change. It was a great opportunity to jump start the day and make sure I had plenty of time to stop by my polling station and cast my vote. Voting has always been an emotional experience and I felt that after casting my vote. Not because of individual candidates or outcomes but the process. Celebrating our freedom by casting our vote is such a privilege and I am thankful for our democracy.

The political process is likely on our minds more the weeks leading up to November. Emails, television, social media, street corners, and more are filled with a final push to see a candidate succeed. My children and I were able to recite some of our local political ads verbatim on the way to school Monday. A hotly contested nearby race was between Elaine Luria and Jen Kiggans. We said a prayer for them both.

I didn’t cast my vote for either since I’m not in their district but there is something about praying for someone that de-vilifies them. I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover and I’ve yet to find the verse that condones hate. Evil and sin yes, but never the sinner, lest we’d have to hate ourselves.

My observation from this political cycle is that we’ve gotten very addicted to the drug of fear. Granted, I didn’t listen to every candidate’s ad, but what seemed to be a consistent theme was if the opposition gets into office this bad thing will happen. Don’t let that happen by voting for me. Fear must be an amazing motivator. That message on both sides of the aisle was pushed out behind a financial wave of an estimated $8.9 billion according to Fox Business. With last minute pushes that number has now exceeded $16 billion according to Bloomberg, far surpassing any previous midterm election! Wow!

As God has opened my mind and heart to His Word of late, I stand increasingly confident in the Kingdom of God that is being established through His Church. God raises up political leaders for His purpose, but His authority is, and will always be, extended through His Church. Legislation isn’t inconsequential but it is limited. If salvation could have come through legislation we’d still be under the Law. We’re not under the Law; we’re in Christ. Heart change comes by way of a heart transplant and only the Gospel can bridge that gap. Even the greatest of political systems fall woefully short of the Law of Christ.

I hope we all took time yesterday to exercise our right to vote. We should pray and vote for leaders of integrity and Biblical values, but we should never look to politics as the source of hope or primary marker of the morality of a nation. We need to look more closely than that. Politics is too easy of a scapegoat. We need to look at the Church. We need to look at the home. We need to be so courageous as to look at our own hearts. Then we will begin to embrace the power of the Gospel and the authority that Jesus is exerting on earth as it is in heaven.