Dear fellow Christian, who are we voting for?

We’re just a few days out from early voting and there’s something I have to share before we all run out to the voting polls.

Cause we are voting, riiiiiiight?

Good.

Okay so, right now you’re probably considering skimming this post for signs of who I’m voting for so you can decide if you side with me or not.

To decide if you want to listen to me or not.

Without even knowing me, your brain is already making assumptions about me. And this isn’t a bad thing. This is simply how our brains work - categorizing and grouping like-things. Cause our brains are lazy.

Maybe you’ve noticed that I’m a white woman in her mid-thirties who lives in Texas.

Maybe you’re looking for hot-button words such as: “injustice, gay rights, all lives matter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, defunding, pro-life, pro-choice, climate change, taxes, economy, gun regulations”…just to name a few…to figure out how to place me.

And depending on which words I use and where you think I fall on the political spectrum, you’re ready to close your browser or you’re willing to stay.

Will you stick it out with me, friend?

I promise to make this shorter than most of my blog posts. But I feel this message rising up within me so strongly I feel I might burst.

You’re my brother. My sister. The ones I’ll spend eternity with.

I love you.

No matter where we fall on political lines, I love you.

To quote Jesus, anyone can love people who love them back. But real love looks like loving those who hate you.

No matter how good (or bad) 2020 has been to you, I can confidently say that we’ve collectively navigated some pretty big issues this year.

Let’s look at one of the issues our brothers and sisters were dealing with 2000 years ago.

In the book of Romans, Paul addressed “mature” and “immature” Christians in the Roman church by discussing an issue they were arguing about at the time: those who eat all foods vs. vegetarians.

“Offer an open hand of fellowship to welcome every true believer, even though their faith may be weak and immature. And refuse to engage in debates with them concerning nothing more than opinions.
So then, make it your top priority to live a life of peace with harmony in your relationships, eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage one another. Stop ruining the work of God by insisting on your own opinions about food. You can eat anything you want, but it is wrong to deliberately cause someone to be offended over what you eat. Consider it an act of love to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything else that would cause a fellow believer to be offended or tempted to be weakened in his faith.”
Romans 14:1,19-21 TPT

This was just one example of a secondary issue that wasn’t pertinent to their salvation.

Paul’s point in this chapter is that eating or not eating certain foods is not essential to your salvation. So if it isn’t essential, we shouldn’t waste time arguing about it.

He reminded the Roman community (and us today) that everyone will have to answer for themselves before the living God.

We shouldn’t judge each other because it’s a waste of time.

I am not your final judge and you aren’t mine.

Eating or not eating food is not an essential salvation matter. Voting for a Republican or Democrat is not an essential salvation matter. Vaccinating your children or not vaccinating them is not an essential salvation matter.

My point?

We look more like the world and less like Jesus when we devalue, hate, shame, and judge others because of their choices in matters that are not essential to salvation.

“Now, those who are mature in their faith can easily be recognized, for they don’t live to please themselves but have learned to patiently embrace others in their immaturity. Our goal must be to empower others to do what is right and good for them, and to bring them into spiritual maturity. For not even the most powerful one of all, the Anointed One (Jesus), lived to please himself. His life fulfilled the Scripture that says: ‘All the insults of those who insulted you fall upon me.’”
Romans 15:1-3 TPT (italics mine)

So, which of us is the “mature in their faith?”

The Republican or the Democrat? The old or young? The one who eats Kosher or the one who doesn’t? The one who wears a mask or the one who doesn’t?

Obviously this is a rhetorical question, because one isn’t better than the other.

The “mature in their faith” are the ones who live to empower others and bring them into spiritual maturity.

Even Jesus didn’t live to please himself or consider himself better than others. He spent His 3 years in ministry empowering others and developing their spiritual maturity. He bore the curses that we deserved and died in our place.

This is our Jesus.

He stood in our place when we hurt Him, hated Him, and wanted nothing to do with Him.

I’ve always considered myself to be a “Confused Republican Liberal,” if you will.

I side with Democrats on about 45/50 issues, I live in a state where pro-life is THE SINGLE issue for many Christian voters, and I’ve read the words of Jesus about caring for the community vs. the individual.

So, yeah. It’s a little confusing.

I’ve never voted for a Democrat or a Republican in the five presidential elections that I’ve been of voting-age.

I’ve had to find a third-party Moderate who aligns with the issues I’ve felt were most important for our country.

Enter 2016.

I heard that DJT was running for president.

I laughed.

And then I cried when he won the primaries.

I stopped watching the news and listening to the radio so I wouldn’t have to hear his voice (and have still only heard him speak for about 10 minutes over the last 4 years.)

For many reasons I don’t have time to go into now, I knew I could never vote for him, but I also didn’t feel comfortable voting for Hilary. So, another third-party candidate it was.

But this year is different.

I can not knowingly throw my vote away and vote for a third-party.

I have to know that I did my part at the end of the day to remove DJT from office.

I’m very at peace about this.

I will be voting for Biden.

Do I like him? Not really.

Do I understand that my vote may not matter because Texas will most likely be red in the electoral vote? Yes.

Am I voting anyways? You betchya.

In case you didn’t already know, this is a very difficult post to share.

I know I’m opening myself up to a lot of hate and criticism. I know I could lose friends and family over this post. (And isn’t that sad?)

We need a Jesus-type-of-love so desperately. The kind that loves when others hate. The kind that speaks the truth even when it’s hard.

I’m sharing this out of obedience, but also because I haven’t seen enough of the Christian perspective on this.

But I cannot continue to be a single-issue voter any longer.

Of course I care about abortion policies. Of course I want to see as many babies saved as possible. And any other year, I probably could have been swayed to vote for someone who wasn’t a strong candidate or didn’t have a personality.

But that’s not the reality of where we are.

Whether you think I am the immature person mentioned in the Romans passage above, or if I think you are, we can still love each other and not question each other’s salvation over this issue.

However, by putting myself out there, people will question my salvation and I just trust that God is the one who will be the one to judge me, and no one else, at the end of my life.

If you’re still here, thank you for hearing me out, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.

By the way…one of my best friends told me she’ll be voting for DJT last night and guess what?

We’re still friends.

Isn’t that cool?

how can i pray for you?