Super Tuesday: How to find peace in the US election

I’ve never written anything political on my blog before. That’s really saying something, since I grew up near Washington, DC, made friends with kids of candidates (can’t say who or they would have to kill me) and spent junior high career day with a Circuit Court Judge. After all, my whole intent on this blog is to invite you to “Come, have a PEACE.”  But tomorrow is Super Tuesday. I’d say this US Election is good reason to extend my heart to yours today and say, “Come, have a peace.” Whether you’re for Marco, Hillary, Donald, Ted, Bernie, or Trace (that’s my dog), the earthly leader of today has nothing to do with our peace, and I want us to hold on to that.

They say there’s never been an election like this one, but that’s not true.  The characters may wear the styles of our day and speak the words of our day, but the current quagmire shouldn’t surprise us. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Many citizens who call ourselves Christians stare in wonder at the state of our government and conduct of those who would rule. We fill  Facebook with consternation over our nation. Maybe the mayhem of this American election says more about us than the candidates who have our attention. 

Citizens of the United States have a front row seat to a canvas being created in real time. Coverage of our political landscape rolls 24/7 with reruns of incidents and quotable comments. We sit back and watch the scene of our culture come together.  Random riots and punches appear against a background track of insults, lies, and slander. At first glance, we might be tempted to just shake our heads and wonder how leaders today can stoop so low. But when primaries and town halls fall silent, thoughtful consideration uncovers an ugly truth. Campaign chaos says more about who we are than about a handful of celebrities. We live in the world according to us.

• For some, we cling to hope that when God promised Israel He would be their God, He meant the United States too. We might say we still live in a Christian-ish nation.
• For others, we’ve been mucking around in Facebook foulness, so mean jabs and crude comments don’t feel grisly anymore. We were comfortable with crass before candidates joined in.

Since God closed the door on the Garden of Eden, mankind has always lived in “the world according to us,” and it hasn’t been pretty. “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Peace in the US Election

So how do I find peace if I’m fretting over the future of this foul election?

Tim Keller says “Fretting is a common activity of our age. It is composed of worry, resentment, jealousy, and self-pity. It is dominant online. It chews us up inside while accomplishing nothing.” And just like there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to rulers, fretting is also nothing new. The Psalmist David writes about the chewing up of our inner man.

“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:1-6)

Are you fretting over this fracas? If you’re dwelling on the disorder of our day, choose to enjoy the safe pasture of peace instead.  God is worthy of our trust and unequaled in His ability to lead us. We can celebrate Him as our sovereign ruler who always acts for our good and will work for our benefit when we commit our future to Him. Being loyal to Him is a guaranteed win!

Will you fret over the fracas today, or will you dwell in God’s pasture of peace?

What are you doing to keep current events from stealing your joy?