I also find it curious that individuals
who profess themselves as Christian, that Jesus Christ is their Lord
and Savior, would spew such hatred, then use the excuse that they are
not perfect but “Jesus loves me anyway” as justification for
spewing such hateful things about an individual s/he doesn't even
know. One Facebook post purported that “Satan was re-elected,”
then later in a comment states that if that's God's will, it shall
be. Is this individual insinuating that God wants the “devil” to
run this country? And if it is truly God's will, why make such a
post that decries the very outcome of the election in defiance of
God? The appearance is that in this instance, the profession of
one's self as a Christian is in name only; but that a Christian does not
make. The purpose of Jesus' existence and His teachings was so we'd
come to understand, live and walk in this life, given to us by His
Creator and Father, like Him! This demonstration of hateful piety, and the
excuses to justify the hateful behavior falls well short of striving
towards the calling question, “What Would Jesus Do.”
Additionally, if we are to behave so ugly, judgmental and hateful
because we're not perfect, but “Jesus loves me anyway,” then by
this argument, we all would be loved, including the very man who was
voted president, right? And then according to the original statement, wouldn't this also imply God loves
“Satan?” And does the statement “Jesus is my Lord and Savior”
imply that by simply saying the words, you are forgiven for such actions and “in” with Heaven,
without genuinely living and expressing the spirit of
Jesus in your heart, in your actions, in your life? Last I checked
the teachings of Christ, Jesus was a proponent of
love, not hatred. If one professes to truly be a Christian, love
wouldn't be simply a word thrown around, but an action and a way of
being and expressing, no matter how others show up, no matter how
things turn out, no matter how any of us disagree with each other.
It's not an easy task, and we do falter, as many today did on
Facebook, but it is what Jesus invites us to consciously live and to
consciously choose in action. The actions and expressions by many
self-professing Christians demonstrated a vast contrast to the
practice of a true genuine Christian. And what Jesus taught, by the
way, was unconditional love, not selective love.
To offset such ugliness on Facebook, I found great appreciation
and respect for those who voted for the other guy, and who also
expressed their disappointment with the outcome with humility and
respect, demonstrating the “higher spiritual road” of their
Christian faith. These Facebook posters also accepted this outcome as “God's will” but
choose to honoring and supporting that “will” moving forward. Some even
chastised fellow disappointed supporters for their blatant show of
disrespect for the President. Many stated they would pray for the
President, though I cannot personally know what they are praying for;
but I would hope that we'd all pray for our entire governmental
system, because as easy as it is to make one man the scapegoat for
all our country's problems when in fact, one man cannot single-handedly be responsible for the lack of progress these last four years. Polls show growing
dissatisfaction with Congress, and its no wonder when everyone from
both sides of the aisle are acting like a bunch of kids on a
playground at odds with one another. (Hmmm, sounds kind of like Facebook.) These individuals significantly contrast to the vehement Facebook posters by
demonstrating the genuine practice and grace of their faith; you could
say they are walking and living their talk of Christianity, not just
talking the talk of Christianity.
Look, as the one Facebook poster pointed out, we are not always going to show up perfectly, but once we realize we haven't, if we are to “walk that talk” we must turn that ugly side we've shown around and own it. Own responsibility for the less-than-stellar behavior or choice, realize we showed up less than Christian-like, and be open to looking at ourselves and ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” had He been in this situation. Our task isn't just to profess our belief, it's to LIVE it! Unfortunately, I see far too many hypocrites, (and yes, Jesus does love them) than I do authentic practitioners living the Christ-like life. Their walk isn't mine to judge, these are simply my observations. Their walk is truly between them and God. I simply invite more authenticity, less spewing of hatred and contempt, never mind self-righteous condemnation, in the name of Jesus Christ. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't do that and wouldn't do that.
As a final note, before placing my personal vote, I decided to let go and let God be present within this election and the outcome. My vote counts, each one of our votes count, but I trust more deeply in God than I do any other human, be s/he a family member, a co-worker, a friend, or the leader of this country. Our faith can be shaken at times, especially when what we want doesn't come to fruition, but its in those times in which true faith and our practice in it is demonstrated. As the country song reminds us, “some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” We can not, may not ever know what would've happen had things gone differently, so we are better served in our relationships with each other, and to our country to work with and support what we've got right now, not what we could've had. God made you, me and both these presidential candidates. How could any of that be wrong?
