AGENTS OF CHANGE- VOTE!

Glenn on Discipleship

Regardless of whether or not we love, like, tolerate or outright hate changes, all of us would like to see certain changes made.

Change is going to happen regardless of our involvement and yet God literally calls us to intentional involvement. I'll blog on intentionality in a bit, but the point is that praying for the government alone isn't the only thing we can nor should do.

No matter your political leaning, personal apathy or even disgust at politicians and their affect in local, national or international events I urge you to pray, study the expressed positions of political candidates as well as the several non-partisan fact-checking websites available, register to vote if you haven't and actually vote on election day. Why?

If you ever care about your own life, those of your family and friends, the lives of those in your area of the country or world, you have got to face the fact that political leaders not only influence but directly affect all the people most of the time!

As Noel Stookey has said, "In the U.S., in our democracy, WE are Caesar"! He meant that Jesus' words about "rendering to Caesar that which is Caesar and to God that which is God's puts all who have the ability to vote in a place of responsibility whether we wish it or not. We hire and fire government leadership in each and every election. Or we as individuals or groups forfeit not only our right but responsibility to be agents of change and merely watch the world move this way or that due to our own lack of direct involvement.

Consider millions of lives in the U.S. and abroad in terms of war(s), poverty, security, jobs, basic health (and health care services), housing (homelessness), education, transportation, food safety, racism, sexism, human trafficking, the rug trade, free trade, the national debt, banking, immigration, abortion, the justice system, the death penalty. Most of these either affect you and your loved ones... or will! The decisions our government makes affects millions internationally. You and I simply by being old enough to vote, affect who gets the responsibility to represent -you- and your views in terms of policy and law (or changes in laws you may want to either end or tweak).

This is only a short list of what's at stake in elections- especially national elections.

In light of all this, please explain to me why so many of us refuse to do our homework, get informed and show up at the polls? In light of what is sometimes nearly a national pastime- complaining about our politicians and the state of our neighborhoods, town, state, country and world- please explain to me why you think it best to disengage from the process and exercise your vote?

I'll be blunt- no matter how you got there, if you sit in the seat of the scornful, the mocker, the grumbler and the complainer (and I've sat in all of these chairs over my lifetime) but are a consummate slacker on election day, in my view you are the problem and in part the reason things went down the tubes when they did.

Further, it's not all about winning. Sometimes my country (the U.S.A.) is so focused on winning that we lose. I think we care more about aggressive offense and defense to the extent we wreck more lives than we save. I love soccer and NFL football but the political choices we make or don't engage in cost real lives.

Some or all of the candidates you support in a particular election may not win. Some you vote(ed) for may turn out or end up doing things you never expected and you will later think you voted for the wrong person. This is part of the risk we take by getting involved. But non-involvement means you could have tried to "right the ship" but did nothing. Nothing. Therefore you brought nothing to those in need, accomplished nothing in terms of doing what you at least believed at the time was a part of being a Christ-follower and yes, a part of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

I don't at all think I'm stretching the points in this article. Please, pray, get informed, try to listen and learn -past- the emotions and mere win/lose of elections. Work at keeping your heart and head above the mud, the unhelpful posturing and extremism of any political party's extreme factions or spin-people... but I beg you to engage as an agent of change rather than a passive tourist. Vote!

Posted 10/09/08