Am I Making the Right Choice?

My mind is racing with a thousand thoughts as I view post after post of the presidential campaign. The headlines, the accusations, the lies all make my mind spin as I try to decipher what is true and what is a scheme to get my vote. I have watched the debates and have stayed informed on each candidate, but I can’t help but wonder, “Am I making the right choice?” So much is at stake here. From what we see and hear on social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc., if the wrong candidate is elected this could be it for the United States of America as we know it.

We have seen and heard that the 2016 presidential campaign is a race like no other. And so it is, this race is different in many ways, from a historic first female candidate to a billionaire candidate with no political background. Add to the mix the possibility that the next president may be electing four supreme court justices that will shape the fundamental values and moral principles for the future of the United States.

Although these are ample reasons not to take this election too lightly, I am certain that this presidential election has become the nerve-wracking, gut wrenching, most stress inducing race of all time because of the unrestricted, uncivilized use of social media. We have allowed the candidate’s malicious acts, criticisms, allegations and comments to captivate us. We are consumed with the rhetoric of the new norm for the presidential race. We have amenably opened the doors to our homes and lives, and have allowed havoc to plague our thoughts and create disorder in this great nation.

I’ve witnessed friends, family and colleagues being attacked on social media because of their stance for a political party. I’ve read hateful posts of disapproval and vicious insults. Sadly, these behaviors have divided families, broken friendships and hurt those we care about most. Let us remember that as Christians we are called to love and respect one another. Refuse to allow this hostility to spill into our homes, lives and relationships. Refuse to get caught up in the tug-of-war of political schemes and chaos.

Yes, we must be informed and knowledgeable about the issues and positions of each candidate. It is our duty and our responsibility to be informed citizens. We must do our part and vote. But we should not be combative with one another and we should not be anxious or be fearful. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” - 2 Timothy 1:7. Ask the Lord for wisdom and pray for His guidance. Pray for the candidates and trust that the outcome is in the hands of the Lord.

As I return to my thought of “Am I making the right choice?”. I reflect on the words of St. Paul in Romans 13:1, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God”. This passage settles my mind and brings peace as I come to understand and believe that regardless of the political party I support, it is God who will determine the next leader of the free world.

Remain in peace with one another, stay faithful and whole-heartedly trust in your Father God, who is the ultimate authority. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.