Voting Is Akin to Boarding a City Bus
This is an interesting year politically, isn’t it?
We have all been confused and even offended by rhetoric, by name-calling, by division, and by deceit. I hardly know what to believe anymore.
I have determined not to talk about the specifics of politics on social media or in a public forum.
However, let me tell you in general what I have decided.
Neither candidate is perfect, but then again, neither am I. So there’s that.
I have decided that voting is akin to boarding a city bus … it won’t take you directly to your home address, but it will get you close. So, you board the bus that drops you off the closest to your home.
I will vote for the candidate whose ideas and platform are closest to my dearly-held beliefs.
I truly don’t mean to open an infamous and stinky can of worms in this forum or to stir up vitriolic and divisive opinions.
That is exactly the opposite of my intent.
I want to bring some peace and wisdom to all our hearts when it comes to politics.
You see … I do believe that it is more important to love people who vote differently than I do than it is for me to spout my opinions.
I prefer to use social media and my weekly blog as a platform of encouragement and ministry rather than a bully pulpit.
I read a quote recently that has impacted me greatly.
Perhaps this quote will help you as you approach the next week of the political circus that we are about to attend … whether we want to or not.
“I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election and advised them:
1 – To vote without fee or reward for the person they judged most worthy.
2 – To speak no evil of the person they voted against; and
3 – To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.” – John Wesley, October 6, 1774.
These words hold powerful advice by a man committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His wisdom is just as valuable today as it was over 200 years ago.
I was only 5 years old when John F. Kennedy was running for president of the United States of America.
I remember hearing my parents talk to their friends, to our extended family, and to one another about the tragedy that it would be if JFK were to win the election. They were concerned about the fact that he was a Catholic and that he would throw America into World War III.
In my little girl mind, I naively thought that life as I knew it in America would cease to exist were the Democratic candidate come out triumphant in the election of 1960.
I went to bed in fear the night of the election and woke up the next morning absolutely trembling. I ran downstairs to find out who had won the election, and when my father told me that John F. Kennedy would be the next president, I burst into tears, so great was my atrocious anxiety.
My father took me in his arms and assured me that I was safe, that America was still great, and that God was still on the throne. After he calmed my terror, he apologized for creating that unmanageable fear in my heart and my mind. My wise father and I prayed together, and then I ran joyfully off to get ready for kindergarten.
I tell women across America that what happens in their homes daily is infinitely more important than who is living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The joy that is found at your street address, the principles that are taught around your kitchen table, and the peace that rules in your family relationships will ricochet through the generations to come.
I will vote, but I refuse to be angry.
I will vote, but I refuse to condemn.
I will vote, but I will refuse to alienate people whom I love just because our ballots will look different on November 5.
I will endeavor to take the wise advice of John Wesley and take care that my spirit is not sharpened against those who voted on the other side.
In the middle of this political mess that America has created, I believe with my whole heart that God is still good and that He is still on the throne.
I believe that He is well able to work all things together for good and that He is not surprised by what is transpiring in American politics.
I do have personal and strong convictions, and I will endeavor to vote for the candidate who most reflects my values.
I vote with holy reverence, knowing that voting is a privilege, not a game of roulette, and regardless of who wins, I must know that I have voted based on principle and not on personalities or on political parties.
I must answer to God for my vote and my vote alone.
And … when November 6, 2024, dawns …I will not be filled with fear … but I will be filled with faith.
I will remember the words of my father from over 50 years ago, “America, at its heart is a great nation despite its leadership.”
On November 6 … and on all the days following … I will smile at strangers and be kind to my neighbors.
I will go to church and buy my groceries.
I will encourage young moms and volunteer in my community.
I will read my Bible and pray for America and for our new president.
I am safe, not because of who sits in the Oval Office, but because of who sits at the right hand of the God of the universe.
And, I readily agree with the patriots who were brave enough to declare, “No King but King Jesus!”
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart, but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!
Significant Women Podcast
Developing Healthy Relationships with Billie Jauss
On today’s episode of the Significant Women podcast Carol brings back a dear friend with a new book to share! Billie Jauss is the author of Baseball Family: Nine Core Qualities for Developing Healthy Relationships, as well as a tenured Baseball wife and mother. In the book and in today’s show Billie shares some of the lessons and ideas she’s learned about relationships from years in the world of professional baseball. Lean in and listen! Connect with Billie and order Baseball Family at https://www.billiejauss.com/