The Creator of the universe caused you to open your eyes this morning. That fact alone makes this day special. It means that you have been specifically selected to be right here, right now. It means that you have purpose. It means that you matter.
Your life is not random chance, but a renewed gift from God every morning. This ought to give you confidence to live without fear. After all, the One who has provided everything needed to get you to this very moment is surely capable of guarding and protecting you in the moment. Whether raising your family, doing your job, or just being a good citizen, you have no reason to fear.
Notice that the confidence, joy and freedom of this day are not determined by its being Election Day in America. The same things that make this day great for you also make this day great for everyone on the planet. But while your confidence and joy do not depend on the election, they certainly change the way that you approach it.
First, you can have utter confidence that no matter the outcome of any national, state, or local race the Creator of the universe remains in charge. Kings and countries are set up and taken down by the same God who woke you up this morning. So, while happiness and disappointment are good and natural reactions to the results of elections, fear and anger have no place in an understanding heart.
When we blame our neighbors for electoral disappointments, we are putting them in the place of God. This faulty thinking only leads to division. The fact is that we don’t deserve any good from God. Every good outcome and all good governance is sheer grace. We should thank God for the undeserved goods. And we should humbly accept His chastening judgments as right and just.
This not only calms our hearts and answers our fears. It also enables us to love one another—rather than blame one another.
While a democratic republic has many blessings, it also has some hidden drawbacks. When every citizen over the age of 18 is called to participate in the common governance, it puts all of us in the position of judging and controlling others. That is the great strength of America’s governance because it holds elected officials to account.
But for the human heart, it is a great burden to carry. With this great blessing of having a say in governance comes the illusion that we can actually control other people. For months, now, friends and family, pundits and politicians have been trying to persuade one another about what to say and how to vote.
As with every election cycle, the rancor reaches a crescendo in the run-up to Election Day. As we find that we do not have as much control as we would like, desperation grows. Words become sharp and cutting. Neighbors injure neighbors. Friendships become strained. All of this is the result of people attempting to exert power over one another.
So, one of the blessings that make this such a great day is that we can put this season behind us. The universal impulse to use rhetoric, logic, shame, insults, greed and fear to control the words and voting of other people can blessedly come to an end. Today, the pressure and responsibility of citizens participating in governance are greatly relaxed.
This frees us to put the spotlight back where it truly belongs. Judging others always carries with it the threat that we are distracted from judging ourselves. Today it is time to return to self-examination and self-control. That is what self-governance is truly all about.
Now, it is time to focus on what we—not others—should do to make this a better world. And the same things that we have been desperately trying to force others to do we should even more zealously force ourselves to do.
We have far more control over self-control than we ever had over our electoral efforts. Not only that, but every success that we have in self-control will be a thousand times more rewarding than merely forcing someone else to do the right thing. With this general principle in mind, allow me to suggest a few specific actions.
Why not start with a simple act of hospitality. Think about people who disagree with your electoral politics and invite them to dinner. The purpose is not to change minds. That pressure is off for the immediate future. No, the purpose here is to humanize. Learn about their background and their aspirations for the future. Find out what makes them tick.
People meeting face-to-face in a hospitable environment give the gift of self. It is human conversation in a way that emails, social media posts—even hand-written letters—can never be. In short, it builds and rebuilds personal relationships based on a common humanity.
Speaking of rebuilding, here is a second post-election activity. Think about your communications over the past month or two and ask yourself if you wrote, re-tweeted or shared anything that you regret. Look, especially, for personal attacks. In the heat of conversations trying to persuade others, it is always easier to feel the attacks of others than it is to notice your own.
Now that the pressure is off, you have the advantage of hindsight. When you remember an attack on someone, an attack that you later regretted, go to that person face-to-face and apologize. Just apologize. Don’t remind him of what he first said to you to deserve it. No “buts,” “ifs,” or “maybes” are allowed here. A sincere and unqualified apology has power beyond your wildest dreams.
Finally, while you are reflecting on your own angry words and thoughts ask yourself what prompted them. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that this or that person caused your anger. People only bring it out. They don’t cause it. Seething anger in our hearts is caused by a steady diet of hatred and scorn for others that we ingest from television and social media.
Look seriously at the news-sources that you choose. Ask yourself if they are designed to make you despise other people. Television, radio and social media regularly use rage in order to keep you watching. Be smart enough to realize that a steady diet of rage can lead you to say and feel things that you will regret. By turning it off, you simply refuse to be turned against your friends and family for the financial gains of others.
After months of trying to control people and powers that are out of our control, today is a joyful and hopeful day. Today is a day to realize all the ways that we ourselves have been controlled. Today is a day for renouncing the power of manipulation and returning to the power of human love.
After months of trying to build a better world by controlling others, today we are reminded that the greatest power for changing the world is to control ourselves. Where rage and angry words had no effect but to strain relationships and entrench viewpoints, self-control has the power to rebuild a culture of civility and respect.
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