Quiet the noise.
I've struggled about this post. For many nights I have laid awake wondering how to put my heart's laments faithfully to the page. I want to get it right. I want to be clear. I can't be just another voice. I believe I have a purpose with the clanking of these keys. I believe I must be honest, first with myself. Last, it comes to your minds and hearts, these truths I feel I should say.
Election night I allowed Charlotte stay up and watch the results come in. I explained why this was such a historical event in words and reasons she could grasp. A woman! A man who had never done anything like this before! A man who's group doesn't get a lot of votes and who is trying to get more people to think outside of the two most popular groups! America gets to decide. How fun, right? The people's votes tell us who we think will do the job best. She decided she wanted the person with the most votes to win. She was going to wake up happy. I decided I couldn't put my hope in any of these persons. I knew I would wake up mourning the same country as I did the night before. A country built on rebellion. A country I love. A country I believe in. A country I will always stand to protect with whatever task I am called to.
When I lived in Jordan, I was privileged enough to be there for Ramadan. We were given a prayer booklet with a certain people group to pray for specifically each day. An Australian missionary who had just arrived said, "I believe we are missing a page. There is no page for Bin Laden. While it's great to pray for our neighbors, for our friends, for our leaders...imagine the way our world would change, not with his death, but if God met him on the road just as he met Paul." I sat there with tears streaming down my face. We had met danger just miles away with a bombing aimed at us weeks prior. I hated those men. I wanted them and Bin Laden dead. I wanted peace. I wanted to feel safe on the bus home each night. I wanted to uncover my hair and show these men that beauty was a gift, not a sin. But she was right. If Bin Laden was killed, another leader for the cause would step in. His death was not the answer. The condition of his heart was the answer. How true that has proven with ISIS. There will always be plenty of hate. There will never be enough love. Which one will I spread?
All this. ALL this to say. To those who are mourning the fact that Trump was elected...this is not a time to only shout in anger. This is a call to arms. Protect what you feel is threatened. Angry that he wants to build a wall? Support those already here. Help their voice be heard. Better yet, get to know them. https://ccswoh.org/
Those of you who voted for Trump, hear the cries and fears of your fellow man with hearts willing to break with theirs. This is not a time for gloating. This is not a time for only celebrating a victory. This one was a vicious battle that left a lot of people hurting and scared for what is next for their story. Be aware and sensitive to that.
Last, pray for the leadership of this country. Now more than ever we must call out to Jesus on his behalf. Clarity. A change of heart could change the trajectory of this country. With hearts willing to lean into the authority we have been given as Christians...no one man can ever change that. We, however, can change the way we operate what we've been given. BE LOVE.
Election night I allowed Charlotte stay up and watch the results come in. I explained why this was such a historical event in words and reasons she could grasp. A woman! A man who had never done anything like this before! A man who's group doesn't get a lot of votes and who is trying to get more people to think outside of the two most popular groups! America gets to decide. How fun, right? The people's votes tell us who we think will do the job best. She decided she wanted the person with the most votes to win. She was going to wake up happy. I decided I couldn't put my hope in any of these persons. I knew I would wake up mourning the same country as I did the night before. A country built on rebellion. A country I love. A country I believe in. A country I will always stand to protect with whatever task I am called to.
When I lived in Jordan, I was privileged enough to be there for Ramadan. We were given a prayer booklet with a certain people group to pray for specifically each day. An Australian missionary who had just arrived said, "I believe we are missing a page. There is no page for Bin Laden. While it's great to pray for our neighbors, for our friends, for our leaders...imagine the way our world would change, not with his death, but if God met him on the road just as he met Paul." I sat there with tears streaming down my face. We had met danger just miles away with a bombing aimed at us weeks prior. I hated those men. I wanted them and Bin Laden dead. I wanted peace. I wanted to feel safe on the bus home each night. I wanted to uncover my hair and show these men that beauty was a gift, not a sin. But she was right. If Bin Laden was killed, another leader for the cause would step in. His death was not the answer. The condition of his heart was the answer. How true that has proven with ISIS. There will always be plenty of hate. There will never be enough love. Which one will I spread?
All this. ALL this to say. To those who are mourning the fact that Trump was elected...this is not a time to only shout in anger. This is a call to arms. Protect what you feel is threatened. Angry that he wants to build a wall? Support those already here. Help their voice be heard. Better yet, get to know them. https://ccswoh.org/
Those of you who voted for Trump, hear the cries and fears of your fellow man with hearts willing to break with theirs. This is not a time for gloating. This is not a time for only celebrating a victory. This one was a vicious battle that left a lot of people hurting and scared for what is next for their story. Be aware and sensitive to that.
Last, pray for the leadership of this country. Now more than ever we must call out to Jesus on his behalf. Clarity. A change of heart could change the trajectory of this country. With hearts willing to lean into the authority we have been given as Christians...no one man can ever change that. We, however, can change the way we operate what we've been given. BE LOVE.
Love this, sister :)
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