It's election time again...so what do we do?

I like to think of myself as a pretty well informed citizen. I try not to lean one way or the other. Typically one party ends up being my end decision in most cases. Yet, it isn't because I see myself as representing a party. It's because my values, biblical values, are upheld the most by the candidate. Let's be honest... one man cannot solve the issues of this country, or this world.

So here we sit this October, engaged in this battle related to our political perspectives. We fight til we are red in the face to discuss what party is best. We compare their views and objectives  against society's views instead of God's views. Or we just don't care to vote at all. We skirt around issues if our candidate doesn't fully align with our personal beliefs when those beliefs should reach further than that. The question ultimately ends up being, "Where should God fall on this issue of politics?"

How should we handle our election of government officials? Why do we get so consumed with our political parties, that we forget our Kingdom? The power of men has divided the Church of Jesus Christ. God does expect us to be involved in politics. He doesn't expect us to be so corrupt in them so that we forget about the other Kingdom we are a part of. It does matter who we elect. But our way of thinking about it, and how we make our decisions needs to be evaluated. We are not for sale. We stand with God. God did not come to take sides. God is not a Democrat. He is not a Republican. He came to take over. 

Tony Evans calls out scripture in a discussion on this topic, in Joshua 5, in which I think we start to find an answer. In this scripture, it discusses how he has crossed into the promise land and is about to move forward. They are moving toward Jericho getting ready to fight. The man lifts up his eyes, and a man was standing opposite with a sword drawn in his hand. He asks,  "Are you with us, or against us?"  The reply is a plain and simple, "No. I indeed come as captain of the host of the Lord." The answer came back to Joshua, pretty much declaring,  "I am not on your side, or their side. I have my own program. Independent of both."

So is it wrong to be a Democrat? No. Republican? No.  When it starts to cross over to being "wrong" is when you stand for only what is Democrat or Republican. When you don't take the time to dig deeper on God's agenda and views instead of your own and society's. No one group, or thing for that matter, can have your total loyalty when you belong to another order. If you cannot see that a worldly view is not the answer, I do not believe you can ever fully be acting out a life as a Christian.

As soon as you disagree with God, I am going to disagree with you.We get caught up on topics like abortion. Yet we fail to also think about the fact that God's perspective is not just limited with 9 months of pregnancy. No, He is not in support of abortion. But it's bigger than that.  He's concerned with every single person's life from start to finish. There's a whole lot more of issues to tackle than just abortion when you think about it that way. So we sit here with our narrow viewpoints and perspectives, and wonder how and why our country continues to spiral out of control.

So what did Joshua do when this man represented a different agenda? He fell on his face to ask God what he wanted him to do. He was about to fight, and instead realized, he had it all wrong. He needed direction.

As a society we have it backwards. We think the issue is who's side is God on, or we just don't care about that at all. The right question, if you're a Christian, should be, "Who is more on God's side?" The beauty of asking that question, is that you then have to dig further to figure out what God's side is. My guess is on most issues you have never even thought about it that way. We are not called to or allowed to for that matter, take a position on what people here think, but only on what God says.

So let's remove the God piece for a second, and give a worldly perspective. What happens at a football game when a decision on a penalty is made? Does the crowd get to vote and determine if something was a penalty? No. What if they don't agree with the call? No.  We know that all too well after the replacement officials were brought in this year. People complained up and down, voiced their opinion, and knew in their hearts that the official's call was "wrong." But those officials have an objective standard and rule book in which to review. The objective standard will over rule what you think no matter how many people think it. Even if EVERY single person in the stands and on the field thinks otherwise, it isn't going to hold true. It's not going to change anything. You have to have an objective standard in life in order to function as you are intended to.That official, throughout all the trash talk, got a first hand look at what it means in the smallest of ways, what it might be like to be God. To not have people accept, appreciate, or agree with his views. But they're views all the same. Ultimately we will all have an opportunity to figure out how well we played by His rule book...and this is why I know God is in support of the candidate that best follows His.

Now, no party will ever fully reflect the Kingdom of God. It won't happen. So what is important? What do we do? I think the best place to start, is to determine which candidate/party will be able to increase the Kingdom's point of view. Think independently. Don't get caught up in fighting, who's better than who, or individual one-off issues.  Is the leader drawing from a Biblical view or not? Whichever candidate ends up being elected, they are ultimately not the one in control. But it is our responsibility to elect people that can best reflect our beliefs.

Thankful.

It's funny how sometimes we think life is just coasting along perfectly, and then all of a sudden it feels as though we've been thrown into this crazy cycle where absolutely everything is going wrong. I've seen so many of my friends undergo hardship this year. I have seen family hurt. People lose jobs. People with illness. People with debt. Broken hearts. People unable to start a family. People falling further from God. People unable to find a job. Yet, throughout this I have seen the good. I have seen friendships restored. I  have seen hearts soften. I have seen relatiosnhips repairing themselves slowly, but surely. It's easy to focus on the bad, but how often are we looking for the positive?

I've found that we are never going to be lacking the hardships, challenges, and daily struggles that present themselves each day. That's inevitable. What we do with these things however, is in our control. We can either try to solve the world's problems each day on our own... or we can know that God is in control, and eager to show you what doors he wants to open for you in your struggle. In fact, many times that struggle is the opened door...we're just too self-centered to realize it.

I'm lucky enough to have my faith to rely on to get me through hard times. I still struggle. I still get stressed. I am still judgemental. I still get angry. I still cry. I still fight with those I love most. However, at the end of the day, I know I am not in control. I'm human and I don't need to be perfect all the time. Even if there are the days I tried to be the one in control, I end up giving it up. There are days that I truly don't know how some people can overcome things like death, illness, financial ruin - without knowing Jesus as their savior. I would be a mess without that truth to hold on to. I know, I have been there.

My prayer this Easter, was not that everything would turn around for me. Not that I would start having less struggle to deal with...and this wasn't the case for my friends either. Although I pray daily for my friends to have their prayers answered in the ways they would like... I also pray that they will see the doors that are being opened for them in their struggles. I pray for God to show them clearly what he has in store for them. For Him to soften their hearts, take away their pride, and their determination to solve the issue on their own.

As I sat in this years Easter service...all I could think about were the people I know that are struggling, and how to best help them get to be in a more positive place. Jesus does not turn away if we have our ups and downs, if we fall, if we fail him sometimes. He loves us all the same, he sees the bigger picture. This is not to say he doesn't hurt when we hurt. He died for us, knowing fully well we would fail Him over and over again. How great of a world we would live in if we could do this for one another all the time.

Now, I can help in asking the right questions, being more supportive, and less judgemental.... but the biggest thing I can do is pray for them. Pray with them. Pray for them to be shown the comfort that only One can give them.

Today, I am thankful.