Red Waves, White Flags, and Feeling Blue

As we draw to the end of what has been one of the most anticipated midterm election cycles in recent history, I can not help but wonder what was lost and gained over the last months, weeks, days, and hours.

Thank God, I’m not a cable news watcher, or I would no doubt have lost my ability to deal with this influx of election mudslinging weeks ago.  However, the internet and social media did not spare my sensibilities.  For weeks now, my feeds have been inundated by political memes and news links, some fake and some real.  The last day or two saw the personal opinions begin to go through the roof, the attacks come out, and the constant talk of red team vs blue team.

Somehow in defending what we claimed was Christian did we forget to be Christian?

With all the grace of rock’em sock’em robots I have watched my friends, family, and even fellow ministers tear into one another over their political views, or even over their refusal to engage.  I saw one man called unsaved because he had satirically posted that he hoped everyone voted “democratically.”  The vile responses to his post led me to be saddened for both the state of politics and literacy in our nation.  I saw many declare that God had aligned with one party or the other, while others took time to declare that all voters of a particular persuasion apparently hated people of color, while others were told they voted the way they did so they could get something for nothing.  One attack after another has filled our lives with drama and our minds with ill-will.

So now, where do we go?

We have called one another racist, stupid, unsaved, unpatriotic, communist, Nazi, undemocratic, enemies of the country, hard hearted, naïve, and the list goes on.  Somehow in defending what we claimed was Christian did we forget to be Christian?

Colossians 4:6 (KJV 1900) Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Now though, the day is over.

By all indications there was no Blue or Red wave.  Just more status quo changing hands of power.  It looks as if the Senate will be Republican, the House Democrat, and the White House was not up for grabs.

Now, with power split, Washington will once again grind along at two notches slower than reverse, and the rest of us will go on living.

Only now, you have to spend Thanksgiving with that family member who you blocked after they shared an Anti Trump video.  You have to sit in worship beside the person who read your post calling their Republican views racist and ignorant.  You have to teach a young adult who your meme called an unpatriotic mess of sissified communism.

Yep, now the election is over, the battle has ceased, but I fear the bleeding has not.

Make America Great Again?  God, just make us one again.  And, if the whole nation is too much, just start with the folks on my pew.

John 17:21 (KJV 1900) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.