The president is not an idol nor are they a god. They are a person, with humanity like you and me, who aspires to the impossible task of making the best decisions for our body as a nation. I use the word 'best' because the 'right' decision is different for each of us according to, well, us individually.
The only way for any leader to make the right decision for us is for them to have a personal relationship with us - and even then they will often fail or get it wrong.
James 3:13, on wisdom, reads:
"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
When reading this it's easy to allow ourselves to use this passage to judge our leaders. But I would hazard to charge us, the people, to assume accountability for this on our own lives - especially now. Regardless of your position on things right now, are we moving in wisdom or being led by emotion?
God gave us emotion, yes, to feel and to empathize. But he did not give us emotion by which to be led. It's meant to inspire us against injustice and to pursue resolution with our neighbors. The truth is self-evident. It's unchanging. And if someone doesn't see it, ourselves included as our biases can often blind us to limited thinking, we're not meant to manipulate change through aggression and dehumanization.
That's the aforementioned jealousy and selfish ambition.
We are meant to navigate struggle from the same side of the table moving forward with intentions that are first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Today especially, take care to not allow how you feel about someone else's choices or perspectives to strip them of their value as a human. If they're missing the truth they just don't see it or have a broken worldview, past, or present that's preventing them from understanding.
The only way to change a nation, unless you're God, is to learn how and why God loves you and then learn to do the same to not only others but yourself. That takes time, intentionality, patience and not insisting that someone else's timeline marches forward at the cadence of our preference.
This election is important but don't allow who is or is not in office to sway YOU from loving the very people in front of you today whom the leaders are petitioned to champion in the first place.
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Tim
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