I spent a good deal of this early morning trying to sort out my thoughts of the past months and especially on the results over the past day. And I could go on about the elections…
BUT that’s all over and done.
Our votes have been tallied. The people of our country have spoken. Well-informed or ill-informed, we cast our ballot. Half of us won. Half of us lost. No matter which candidate prevailed, we have to acknowledge the fact that at least half of our nation is grieving this morning. And now we have a choice.
How will we stand?
And so here I stand before you as a multi-racial, Christian, American woman, whose ancestors both immigrated to this country and were native to the Americas. I am a mother, daughter, wife. But these labels do not dictate where I stand. My values, the posture of my heart, and my actions do. Please allow me to share the words on my heart.
My brothers and sisters,
One person does not a country make.
WE are the people.
Who ever you voted for, where ever you come from, YOU have the choice to be the change you want to see in the world, or you can choose to stand and watch.
This is OUR country.
Our votes may be split, but don’t let our nation be divided.
We are citizens of the United States of America. And we are ONE nation.
I stand right beside each and every woman, man, and child. I stand beside the unborn child. I stand beside the pregnant mother facing a critical life or death decision. I stand beside the poor. I stand beside the wealthy. I stand beside the haves, the have nots. I stand beside Christians, and non-Christians. I stand beside those who are LGBT+. I stand beside those who are straight. I stand beside Americans. I stand beside immigrants. I stand beside those who help and those who need help. I stand beside those who fight for equality. I stand beside those who fight for tradition. I stand beside those who voted for the other person. I stand beside those of you who have hope and those of you who lost hope today.
I stand beside YOU, my brothers and sisters.
I may not agree with you, and you may not agree with me, but I STAND WITH YOU.
Why? Because I am called to love you. And even though sometimes it might take every ounce of effort, I do. Because everyone is a child of God in my eyes. We are all created in His image. While our actions (yes, of every single one of us) do not reflect Him, it doesn’t change the fact that we are His children and He loves us unconditionally, and I take it upon myself to do the same.
We are all flawed, some in more obvious ways than others. But more than I worry about who is elected in our government, I worry about a nation divided. We are taught in schools and churches to be kind. To respect each other despite our differences. Yet, as we grow older we lose sight of that somehow. There is a darkness that has overshadowed our country and even our world for too long. I pray that we as a people, a collective human unit, can overcome the fear, the pride, the hate, the selfishness. And together we can truly be free.
While you may not agree with me in my faith, I hope you agree with me in this purpose. I pray that together, we can overcome the darkness. I pray that hearts will be changed and eyes opened. I pray we do not succumb to fear and hearsay, and that we seek and uphold the Truth in all of our actions. And most of all, I pray for forgiveness and healing.
This is not a battle of flesh and blood, but of powers and principalities. And we are not called to fight with anger, hate, and indifference. We are called to love one another. Let us stand united in our voices and be heard. SHOW America what she should be. Show love. Be love. Live Love.
That is where I stand.
I pray God’s blessing up on you, our country, and our world.
❤️??
