My coworker was distraught. The election results rolling in were unexpected for her and disappointing, too. I could empathize with her uncertainty. How could my relationship with Christ, or the hope of the gospel, speak into an election so fraught with conflicted feelings in many Americans, believers and unbelievers alike?
My coworker is someone who has, for her entire life, rejected the claims of Christ. I wondered to myself if she had ever really been confronted with the truth of Jesus’s words. That curiosity, for me, does not come out of a place of judgment. There are times when I recognize a difference between those who owe their allegiance to Christ and who are secure in Him and those who fall quickly into despair when their expectations, political or otherwise, are unmet. Like so many other Americans, my coworker placed her hope in the outcome of an election.
I have watched as American politics has torn people apart, both believers and unbelievers, for years, and it is because people from all sides of the political spectrum are content to elevate politics and political leaders to a status far above what is spiritually healthy for themselves. People give themselves over to an ideal of political progress, to moral and ethical values that, while not unimportant, are always secondary to the gospel of Christ’s kingdom. People also sometimes reject important areas of justice in favor of one or two issues they see as most important.
I will admit that I have been there many times, too; so swept up in the issues of politics, governance, and justice that I’ve lost sight of what I truly owe my allegiance to: Jesus. I make a trade. I trade Christ’s kingdom for a temporary version of prosperity that a group of politicians sell me. Why are we so prone to lose sight of that glorious New Creation promised to us in Revelation 21?
God’s Word proclaims in Revelation 21:3-8 (HCSB):
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:
Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them
and be their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away.
Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
It is in light of this new creation, the very one Christ is preparing for us (John 14), that He has called all men and women who love and trust in Him to also become new.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, HCSB)
Part of that renewed creation that God’s children can embody in the wake of contentious politics is holding space for our neighbors. By that, I mean we can simply be willing to validate and be kind to those who are disappointed, whether they agree with our politics or not.
I do not have to be perfectly aligned with my coworker to be kind to her. And, if she is feeling anxious about her value as a woman in the world, I believe in a gospel and a Savior who can speak directly to that need.
Pulling directly from the “A Life Well Lived” study by Mike Craig, “We have so much to learn from Him [Jesus] because we live in a world that has and will continue to treat others wrongly” (Craig, p.175).
God cares about justice on all levels. On levels and with the nuances our earthly politics couldn’t even dream of reaching.
“To live life well, we must not be stuck in cultural traditions but, instead, open our eyes and look for Jesus. He is Christ…who has come to save all who trust in Him- even the downtrodden, isolated, and rejected. In Jesus, we all can have joy beyond our circumstances as we live and wait for our eternal home” (Craig, p.107).
So, how did I respond to my coworker’s grief over political matters?
I didn’t trivialize, but by God’s grace, I aimed to point her to what truly matters.
This is the text I sent:
“Whatever you need this week, friend- I’ve got you. You may feel as though you are not being supported or protected like you ought to be, but I see you.
I believe ALL women are made in the image of God, and that makes you worthy of love, respect, dignity, and kindness.
Christ does, too, and that’s why I hope in Him- because He sees and cares about people, even when others do not. Even when they feel forgotten or without hope.
Anyway, I know that I am risking sounding preachy, but I hope there’s something in that for you. You are not alone.”
Regardless of whether you are hurting or witnessing the hurt, consider how you can love your neighbor well and make space for them in challenging situations.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciple, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, ESV)
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