The Picture In God's Office

 Hello Church,

'This is the most important election that we have ever had' .... hmmmmmm.....

The older I get the more I realize that it is the big picture that really matters.  I have been especially reminded of this during this election season.  I have heard many extreme statements regarding this presidential election.....

'We will never survive another 4 years of Trump'

'Biden will turn us into a socialist country'

'We will lose our freedoms', 'Candidate X will ruin our lives', 'He will run our country into the ground'

There are perhaps others that you have heard.  Personally, anytime I hear absolute statements (statements that involve the words 'never', 'always', 'completely', 'destroy', etc) that involve any political candidates, but especially the President, I start tuning it all out.  Why?  A couple of reasons: 

1) I hear these extreme statements every four years.  After experiencing 10+ Presidential elections, I'm learning these extreme statements never come true and make people look foolish; 

2) We overestimate the power of the President mostly because candidates make promises they would have no power to fulfill if elected.  Thus, their potential to ruin your life is much less than you think.

So what is God thinking?

I think God is laughing at us.  He has to laugh or cry.  Laughing is usually preferable.  Think about all the governments He has watched change, live and die.  Now compare that perspective to those of us who think this election will bring us to the brink of our existence.  My cynicism has kicked into high gear.  Personally, I think we need to chill out a little bit... maybe a lot.  

This isn't to say that this election isn't important.  I do have my strong political opinions (no, you won't hear me preach those to you) and we all need to go vote.  It is very important, but let's keep perspective.  Four years from now we will go through all of this again, hopefully without masks.  I will have to navigate the rhetoric and over-aggressive behavior of the political spectrum; listen to the panic in both the extreme liberal and the ultra conservative; hang on to the middle ground for dear life; and try my best to not lose my cool while reading Facebook posts that promise the end of the world as we know it.

Our security is not in our political process.  Thank God!  Our security is in a Faith that says, as governments change, live and die, God is still God and we will carry on until He says otherwise.

So for anyone who might think I am minimizing this election, consider that some of us might be overstating the importance of any one moment in the realm of human existence.  I know.  You think your life may drastically change if candidate X is elected President.  I doubt it.  But if it does, it will be okay.  In 4 years it might drastically change again.....

.... and it will likely have nothing to do with who is President....

Hang on to the big picture.  It's the one God has hanging in His office.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe