It's Super Tuesday, the day after Leap Day, which also means that I get to enjoy another every-fourth-year activity - The Summer Olympics. What do all of these things have in common besides all happening on the same year? For our purposes here, they all offer a different view regarding what matters more:
1. Having the right president.
2. Showing up respectfully, on the international stage of athletics.
3. Using our time wisely.
America was founded on principles of government which has checks and balances and has an organization that requires cooperation. On top of all of that, every single person must do their part in order for America to be what American was meant to be - a truly diverse conglomeration of people all working together to create a place of mutual respect, under the hand of Almighty God. Even if not everybody believes in God or even the same thing about God, the foundation must be respected, for there is no other foundation on which mutual respect can be built.
First, in full disclosure, I'm not even a citizen, yet. Born in Canada to Canadian parents, I've lived in America since I was 4 years old and have no plans of leaving. My convictions, though, are very American, because my wife and six kids are American and I pastor a congregation that votes and lives fully in America. Mostly, though, I love the fact that we have a pretty good system of voting in leaders fairly often, thus revealing where we're at as a culture. What do we see as important? Where do most of this think we should be heading? Well, we answer these questions by how we vote and, for better or for worse, we have to live with our decisions. This is where the LIVING and VOTING come in.
Back to voting. Maybe you have already written me off because I haven't chosen to become a citizen by now. You have a right to do that, yet my influence on this country, or even in my little part of this country, is not dependent on whether I can vote, whether I vote, or, dare I say, who I vote for. My influence is dependent on how I prepare those around me and whether I'm faithful to my God when a friend asks me, as I enter the local coffee shop, "So, Paul, how should a Stearns County Evangelical vote?"
Voting steps to follow:
1. Know what you believe and why.
2. Know the candidates and what they believe.
3. Vote appropriately.
How Christian living intersects with voting:
1. Be aware of your culture and why people vote how they do.
2. Love and respect each and every person around you, just as Jesus would.
3. Submit to the authority that is voted in, even if you didn't vote for them.
4. Speak of Jesus, often and accurately, even if it turns out to be illegal.
The latter of the two lists, by far, requires the most energy and thought and conversation.
May I submit to you that, even though voting is necessary and important, living out what is behind our voting convictions matters immensely more than even convincing somebody to vote a certain way (or NOT a certain way).
Real change happens beyond simply "liking" our chosen candidate. It requires living out our convictions, no matter who wins, whether our candidate is all they said they would be, or even whether our belief in Jesus Christ is poo-pooed by most of our country.
Be faithful in your vote. Don't put much hope in the results. Our hope is in the Lord.
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