Even though it makes me want to vomit, yes, I might actually vote for someone I don’t like. Here is my conundrum. I care about what happens here on our home soil. We need reform as much as we need oxygen. Health care, public service, social service, agency re-development, the economy… and let’s remember, too, that these are all interrelated. They all affect each other. I also care, and have personal investment in, what happens with the war effort. Lord willing, I will deploy during the next presidency. I want a Commander in Chief that understands the complexity of military operations.
I got some good advice from a Covenant pastor last night. I didn’t recognize it as such right away. I had to chew on it a bit. He looks at what he cares deeply about, and votes for the person that might make it easier to fight those battles. We both agreed that neither candidate can actually deliver on their promises. We both agreed that the change we need on the home front can only happen if it starts at the grassroots level. So, initially, I was just as lost as I was before. Which battle do I choose; which battle do I vote for?
If I vote one way, it could be easier to fight the battles here at home. The battles abroad though could turn to catastrophe. In the worst case scenario, it could become a home soil problem. If I vote another way, the battle on the home front would be extremely difficult, but the war could go better than the alternative. So, while I understand very well that the home front and war front issues are all interrelated, the two options before us polarize these aspects.
So, I pondered as I drove home, and (I have almost an hour drive home), I thought to myself… I can handle an uphill battle on the home front issues. I’d prefer a good war plan, and an uphill battle at home. I’d greatly loathe an uphill battle in both. And, besides, I’m used to fighting for things anyway.
That all being said, I might vote for the person I think has better chance at making a better Commander in Chief, even though I can’t stand him. I disagree with everything else this person says. He flip-flops more than the last flip-flopper. He really drives me up a wall, and because of all the inconsistency, I even question this person’s integrity. But he might be the person best equipped to keep the war off our soil and manage it better, so that I can focus the rest of my energies on the home front issues. I mean, aren’t may of these social issues really the call of the church anyway?
And in his sermon last night, he said, “Jesus is Lord today, He is Lord Nov 4, and He is Lord Nov 5.”
My bottom line is this. It really doesn’t matter who wins this election. It doesn’t matter. It REALLY doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because, first of all, Jesus is Lord. Second of all, we need grass roots movements. Third of all, the church is supposed to be the leader of grass roots movements.
So, on Nov 4, there is a good chance I will vote for someone I can’t stand, and even have a lot of fun picking on. But, in the end, I’m giving to God what is God’s, and to “Caesar” what is “Caesar’s.”
