And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
During the months leading up to the election, I found myself deeply disappointed in my fellow Americans. I looked forward to the end of the election and for all hyperbole and grandstanding to be over. But the reality is that it has not gotten better. If anything, it has grown worse.
We are much better at tearing others down than we are at building them up. Both of the candidates deserved much of the criticism that came their way, but often the criticism was vile and crude. It was unbecoming of believers.
The more and more I listened to all of this, I became more and more angry. I grew cynical. I felt bitterness welling up inside. I was light on compassion and short on patience.
Last week I had the privilege to step away from it all while on vacation. It was a much-needed break from all the hysteria. As I got my batteries recharged, the emotions in my heart began to subside. I was moved towards repentance and compassion.
In our verse of the week, it says the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds. For weeks my heart and mind were left unguarded. Instead of focusing on the peace of God, my focus was on the hostility of the election and the world. It led me to no place good.
If you find yourself in a place you don't like emotionally, consider stepping away from it. Turn off the news. Get off Facebook. Pick up a good book. Better yet, pick up the Good Book. Get outside and enjoy God's creation. Do something you love. The point is to remove yourself from the negativity. When you surround yourself with the negativity, it will produce negativity within you.
The second thing is to recognize there is real hurt and pain. People are locked in fear, anger, and bitterness. Often they don't know how to respond, and they lash out. They don't have the same peace of God that you have. Hurting people, hurt others. And there are a lot of hurting people that are drowning in the sea of negativity. They don't need more anger, they need compassion.
What we need is fewer people who tear others down. There is already enough of that going on. We need more people who build others up. Start taking the labels off of people and recognize that they are exactly what you are – a frail human being who is subject to the same fears and short-comings as you are. Human nature is human nature. We are more alike than we are different. We are all greatly influenced by our experiences and circumstances. We are products of our environments which are far from perfect. We all need compassion, patience, understanding, and encouragement.
The greatness of our nation is not determined by the man or woman in the White House. The greatness of our nation is determined by the goodness of each citizen. It's not easy to go against the flow of negativity. But let's be different. Allow the peace of God to guard your heart and mind to make a difference.
Sue says
Amen!! Awesome message for us all right now!
Tina F Kehler says
I am from Canada, but what goes on south of our border affects us up here. I too have not been paying attention to the election coverage or its aftermath. I already know what it does to me and it does me no good. It makes me sad that Christian’s Lord and Saviour is not Jesus Christ but an elected official who is but a mere mortal.