I don’t like conflict.
In fact, I’ve nibbled my nails and stared at that one sentence for at least twenty minutes now. I’m down one thumbnail, and I’m thinking that by the end of this article, I may have none left.
Years ago, I read Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung, and I learned something that’s haunted me ever since. DeYoung references a study in which a thousand school-aged kids were asked what one thing they would change about their parents’ work lives. The parents assumed their kids would say, “Work less and spend more time with us.” Obviously, right?
That’s not what they said. Across the board, kids wished their parents were less stressed. It wasn’t time they wanted; it was peace. DeYoung explains that children absorb “second-hand stress” much like a non-smoker inhales second-hand smoke. It’s toxicity by association.
This year, many of us are weary beneath the weight of second-hand stress we can’t even identify. It’s the external stress of a society in conflict. It’s not just that we’re carpooling kids across town or dealing with a difficult boss – it’s also the looming election and all the controversy surrounding it. Do you feel it? The tension simmering on every news outlet? If Democrats and Republicans are like parents in conflict, I feel like the kid crying, “Y’all have to tone it down before I start wetting the bed!”
It’s stressful.
And there’s no silver bullet for straightening things out. Where does that leave Christians as November 3rd creeps ever closer? When a situation is controversial, it helps to stand on absolute truths. We must set aside the dozens of things we don’t know, and ask: What do we know without a doubt?
“God has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). No human being is utterly sovereign – no king or president on planet earth. That’s why God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we feel anxious, we must quiet our souls with the sovereignty of God. Nothing scares Him! Not even 2020. He is the Ancient of Days, whose existence predates creation (Daniel 7:9). “He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains” (Psalm 95:4). The election, too.
What else do we know absolutely? “You [Christians] are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Christians are citizens of heaven, living temporarily on earth. As such, we’re called to be set apart and yet cast influence – to be “in” the world but not “of” the world. It’s a tricky balance. The prophet Jeremiah once wrote a letter to Christian exiles, urging, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
As a follower of Jesus, I want to seek the peace and prosperity of this land, while also remembering I live in exile. This is not my home. Will I vote? Yes. To me, prayerfully voting is one way to seek the well-being of the US. Will I pray for our nation? Absolutely. Will I spar politically online? No, because my ultimate mission isn’t to win Democrats or Republicans, but to shine the light of the gospel. I don’t want politics to become the “basket” that covers up the light of Jesus in my life.
After all, here’s another absolute truth: “A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
The more that verse irritates you in light of the election, the longer you need to sit with it. Are you willing to love people with whom you adamantly disagree? Will you see past their opinions, recognizing their intrinsic value, which is not contingent on how they vote or what they believe?
When we can say “yes” to those questions – by the supernatural strength of Jesus – the world will know that we are His disciples. Now, more than ever, may the church be different. May we live up to the calling to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. For if we cannot be different in this, how are we different at all?
