We've all done it. Read that post that just lit a fire in your soul. A fire of passion and desire for change. A fire of anger. Yeah, I have had that experience more than once over the past few months. I always try to regain control of my thoughts quickly before I allow myself to spiral in a bitter rage, but I have to admit, it's gotten the best of me at times.
There has been so much anger stirring in me lately, and I know I'm not the only one. Some of it, I believe, is a righteous anger. An anger for injustice or evil can spur us into action, and that can be a good thing. Even a Holy thing. But there's a flip side to that anger. It isn't healthy to live in a place of constant anger, and it will begin to consume every part of your life.
I have been truly trying to be careful what I let into my heart and mind. What posts I'm seeing. What news I'm reading. What conversations I'm engaging or observing. But as can easily happen, I read a post (and I've read too many others stating something similar to the effect) that if you don't vote for X candidate, "your faith hangs in the balance." I read that and went to hide the post because I honestly don't address these things on facebook, nor do I want to see them because of the anger it stirs in me. I want to stand up for what is right, but few hearts are changed through facebook arguments, and it simply isn't the platform to which I've been called. I have thought a lot about what my response to that would have been a lot since then.
I would respond that my faith does not hang in the balance, regardless of the outcome, because my faith isn’t dependent on any other earthly person or administration. My faith transcends that and God is so much bigger. Now, that's not to say the outcome doesn't matter. Who we elect is important, because that person yields power that will affect the lives of many, many people. But what I won't do is hang my salvation on the outcome.
A friend wrote recently that we are trying to legislate a Christian culture, and I think that is a very accurate way of putting it. We are expecting the government to do the job God has called the church to do. Should we stand up for Biblical principles? Yes. Should we be investing so much energy and divisive debate into voting a political candidate to do this for us? No, I honestly don't think so.
I am not trying to oversimplify it, but I think far too many people overcomplicate it. I know it gets messy because those we elect have power... But Jesus did not come to legislate morality. He came to change hearts and lives. Hearts are changed through relationship. When people talk about loving others, it is not saying throw truth and Scripture out the window. It is saying to build deep, meaningful, authentic relationship with others and allow the Holy Spirit to work in them through that. Because if we are full of the Spirit, it will be an outpouring of how we live, what we say, what we share.
It is NOT our job to save people. It is NOT our job to change everyone's mind or make them believe. That is God's job. Regardless of the outcome of the election, our job is to live with intention and purpose, reflecting the characteristics of the Lord to this world.
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