Focus to see the light

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

It’s been five days since the 2020 national election, and America is more disjointed, disillusioned, and dysfunctional than ever before. Over the last week, I’ve felt every emotion possible – fear, panic, anger, frustration, happiness, and abject sorrow. As I mentioned to my family, it’s a good thing I know that God is in control as my belief in the innate goodness of humankind is virtually non-existent. Violence, destruction, hatred, and disrespect have become the new acceptable norm, and such a notion is disheartening.

I’ve carefully avoided speaking about political matters in this forum, as I know how controversial they can be. Nothing can turn friend against friend and blood against blood quite as profoundly as the political issues that divide us. For me, politics is not as much about party lines as it is about my values. I vote my conscience and stand up for what I believe in – both in and out of the political arena. 

The most important part of who I am is my faith in God and Jesus Christ as my Savior. I will never forget when a former pastor I worked for told me that he didn’t believe things were black and white. He preferred, instead, to view the world in “shades of gray.” While we disagreed on many issues, to me, this was the most paramount. To hear him say “there are no such things as moral absolutes” made me question what he was doing in the pulpit, leading a congregation. 

There are no gray areas in the Holy Bible. Sin is sin, and no one can argue justification for sinful actions. 

We are all sinners – me, chief among them. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) In big and small ways, all of us sin, and sin keeps us separate from a holy God. Without the blood of Christ, shed for us on the cross of Calvary, none of us would ever be good enough, sinless enough, or devout enough to be allowed entry into heaven. 

As Christians, we are called to be different, model ourselves after Christ, and be set apart to live lives that point others to Him.

• “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 
• Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)
• Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1)

As a Christian, I will not condone, support, or participate in things contrary to my faith. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

Such considerations bring me back to the election. In shining the light of Christ and affirming what I believe, I have a moral obligation to back political candidates that support the same. Perhaps my biggest disappointment this past week was accepting that Biblical values hold little significance to others. “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” (Ezekiel 12:1)

It’s sobering to realize that the majority of one’s society stands diametrically opposed to everything that one believes in. While opposition to conservative values has increased a hundred-fold in my lifetime, greater hostility to the gospel may soon be upon us.

Along with countless others, I pray for our nation and cannot help but mourn the officials won and lost in this past election. More than the candidates, it is their political positions that have the potential to alter the course of our nation’s future. Such consideration is heartbreaking, but I take hope in the assurance that my God is greater than any political candidate or campaign issue.

“Let my cry come before You, oh Lord; give me understanding according to your word.” (Psalm 119: 169)

While I will never understand what God allows and doesn’t allow, nor why earnest prayers often remain unanswered, I know that God is in control, and that’s all that matters. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

I don’t know what’s ahead in America’s future, but it’s enough to know that God does. In times like these, we must keep our hearts and minds focused on Him and not what is happening on earth. As Aristotle said, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” 

I will continue to pray that God will forgive and heal us, as a nation, in the days, months, and years ahead. My laser focus is on Christ. He is the light of the world, and I know He will guide us through the darkness.