Voting in Faith

As we are now in Election Season, I'm sure everyone has pondered who they would vote for. Every four years during the general election season, I see a myriad of opinions and thoughts about the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates on Facebook. One thing I have noticed is that those that voice their opinions frequently and loudly on these social media platforms are very set in how they will vote. Over the years though I have encountered many people particularly people of faith, that do not believe their vote matters, or they feel that civic engagement is unrelated to spiritual matters so it is of no consequence who wins an election. It is true for me that when I look at my ballot, I do not see any candidate that fully advocates for what I believe and what I believe society should look like. I saw a post on Facebook, that I thought accurately captures how we should approach civic engagement as Christians. It said to view voting as a way to get to where you want to go. If you do not see a candidate that will get you to your destination, find the candidate that you believe will bring you closest to the direction where you would like to see society going. One verse that we talked about in last night's Bible Study was what Jesus said about the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-36 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength, the second is like it, love your neighbor as. yourself." For me, I ask myself what candidate can help the vulnerable and disenfranchised in society? What candidate can bring opportunities to people that have few options? Through the years, the answer to those questions do not fall strictly along with a certain party or political ideology. Rather, it is about looking at what I believe God desires for our society and seeing which candidates will help us get there. I encourage everyone as Christians and disciples of Christ, to vote and be an active part of society. This is an important way we can be a part of what God is doing in the world.