Higher Ground.
Well, it’s about that time again: time to pick a new president. Love it, hate it, couldn’t care less about it, it’s here.
If you’ve turned on your television at all during the past two weeks it’s likely you’ve seen representatives of each of the two political parties bad-mouthing each other’s candidates: he’s too old, he’s too young, he doesn’t get it, he doesn’t have what it takes, and on and on it goes, back and forth.
Of course, it has been a wild ride, this election season, and an historic one. We shouldn’t overlook that. But in the end, it’s politics. I’ve heard several people already expressing how frustrated and annoyed they are with the whole mess. They seem to share a common belief that the election does in fact matter, but they struggle to make sense of the issues.
What are inside out people to do? My take on the matter is that we’re to care. We’re to do our homework. We’re to get to know the candidates and what they stand for. We’re to consider all the issues. We’re to consider politics in general, and specifically the role our faith ought to play in how we vote. We’re not to process this stuff in isolation. And we’re not to process this stuff without prayerfully immersing ourselves in the Bible.
As citizens of a democratic superpower, our votes, collectively, really do have a pretty significant impact on the country and on the world. We shouldn’t take it lightly. On the other hand, we shouldn’t look to our vote to do what politics cannot and should not do.
Earlier this year I got to hear one of the presidential candidates speak in our city, and it was exciting and people were going nuts. Then the local campaign organizer took the stage and declared that this candidate was his hope. That caught my attention and made me cringe. The night before, I had read these timely words of warning from the psalmist: “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.”
I pray that we find the balance. Participating in all the uncivil bickering may be the norm, but it does not look or sound a thing like Christ. I pray that we stop taking ourselves so seriously and that we stop demonizing those who disagree with us. Let’s learn to disagree well. And above all, in a world of mudslinging polarization, I pray that we find the higher ground…
“… because the higher ground is not left or right / no, the higher ground you don’t win by might / the higher ground you get to by living upside down [inside out?].” - Ten Shekel Shirt, “Higher Ground”