We Did it! We Voted!

It’s Done! Never have I deliberated, debated, read, studied, and prayed for an election more than I have for this one – and today, Brian and I voted. It is finished.

Who did I vote for? Well, that is between God and me! And, trust me, I surely won’t suggest who you should vote for, but if you will indulge me for a couple of minutes, I will suggest who you should not vote for, and I will tell you why.

First, please do not vote for a candidate simply because there is a D or an R – or any letter – after their name.

It seems that so many of us affiliate so strongly with our party, that no matter who the candidate is, we cannot fathom the idea of voting for anyone with the “wrong” letter, but at what cost?

What if our party’s nominee does not support our party’s policies; policies we have embraced for decades that are now being cast aside? Is either party today what it was even a couple of election cycles ago? I don’t think so.

Is it time to look into our hearts and into our party’s historic and current platforms and decide if the D/R – or any other letter – truly identifies us?

If we don’t agree with the direction in which our party affiliation’s policies will take the country, then maybe it’s time to leave the D or the R behind and vote for the policies in which we believe.

Second, please do not vote for a candidate because of the way you feel about him or her.

How can we let something as fleeting and deceptive as our emotions lead us when we cast a ballot that will affect our lives and our country for four years? If we can’t defend our vote with facts, then perhaps we shouldn’t be voting.

We must leave the emotions at home and refrain from voting for someone based on emotion; we must vote based on what we know. This requires understanding the policies our candidates espouse. We must do the research, visit their websites, and turn off the TV!

Third, please don’t vote for the lesser of two evils.

I’ve heard this a lot – about both major candidates – and I have to ask: is there anything good about supporting a lesser evil? If this is our rationale for voting, then we are purposely choosing evil, even a lesser evil, for president. Why? We must think this one through carefully because no one is forcing us to vote for anyone.

Fourth, please don’t vote against a candidate. To vote against a candidate is to vote for another candidate.

When we vote for any candidate, (even as a vote against another candidate) we must be certain that we understand exactly what we are voting for. A vote is a ballot cast for someone – and their policies.

So, here’s our dilemma (OK, my dilemma): if we refrain from letting the D or the R influence us, if we leave our emotions at home, if we choose not to settle, and if we refrain from voting against a candidate– then who do we vote for?

We must look beyond the rhetoric, the hate speech, the lies – yes, lies – and we must do the necessary research in order to understand exactly what/who we are voting for when we check that ballot.

We have to listen to all sides with an open mind, and that means we will have to sift through mountains of disgusting word vomit in order to get to the meager crust of truth.

We must weigh – not just the candidates – but the issues and the policies they represent. We must decide who best aligns with our constitution’s framework for our nation. We must vote for the candidate whom we believe will most effectively accomplish our understanding of how God intends government should work.

That means we must have a copy of our constitution handy and our Bibles open as we make our decision. We must pray. We must seek God’s wisdom. We must let God guide us. And we must be able to say clearly that we voted as we truly believe God would have us vote.

God has a plan for our nation – and those plans will not change on November 8. He knows who will be in the Whitehouse. He knows whether salvation or carnage will come with the next president, and he has a glorious purpose in allowing it.

“be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left”

Deuteronomy 17:15a, 18-20a NIV

We absolutely must vote. However, be sure when you vote that God is with you in the voting booth, and leave the D and the R, the emotions, and the negativity at home.

Are you prepared to vote for a candidate, rather than against anyone else? Will you vote for his or her policies. Will you vote based on the facts?