Recovering My Footing After the Election

Contributed by Susan Posey, Redeemer Lutheran, McLean

Like many Americans, I was very invested in the Presidential election.  I felt that the stakes were very high.  People in my family and some life-long friends did not support the candidate I did.  I struggled to wrap my head around this.  How could these good people, with whom I knew I shared values, come to such a starkly different conclusion about the direction our country should take?  And I’m sure they must have wondered the same thing about me! 

Is it possible to even talk to these people I love about any of this?  And how do I find my footing when I feel like the earth beneath my feet is shifting?

A couple of things are helping me process all of this:  talking with trusted friends and family; staying informed and active in my community; turning to faith and prayer.  It is the third point that I wish to highlight.

Many people of all faith traditions– even people who do not necessarily consider themselves “religious” or spiritual — start their days with a moment of prayer or meditation.  An App that I use is called d365. Primarily geared for students, it features commentary on scriptures that I will hear in church the coming Sunday as part of the Common Lectionary.

I am a Christian and a member of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean. It is at church in the weeks since the election that I have been inspired and challenged by our Pastor, Sandy Kessinger, who bases her sermons on the scripture passages of the week. Here are a few excerpted/paraphrased nuggets from these sermons, obviously given from the Christian perspective, but which may be of encouragement to people of all faith traditions:

October 27:   God is Our Refuge and Strength

What is the meaning of life?  It should come as no surprise that my answer is God.  At the end of the day, God is the one who gives our lives meaning.  We can certainly live our lives apart from God, but it is a much more difficult path to follow. 

We live in a world of uncertainty, where troubles seem to surround us from every direction.  Psalm 46 offers comfort, encouragement, and a reminder that God is always with us.

If I had to choose my confirmation verse today it would be Psalm 46:10.  “Be still and know that I am God!”  When I have my doubts about the meaning of life and my purpose in this world, it is this verse that brings me back to God.  It gives me the deep security I need that an all-powerful God is with me (and for me) no matter what happens in this world or in our lives.

November 10:  Her Whole Life

God sees and God cares. 

It is good news indeed that God sees our struggles, recognizes our challenges, and cares about us deeply.  But even more, God is inviting us to look around and see each other (those in our community and those we do not know).  And I mean to really see each other – the pain of those who are discriminated against, the desolation of those who cannot find work, the despair of those who lost hope.

God is inviting us to see them, to care for them, and to advocate for a system that does not leave anybody behind.  God cares and God invites us to care as well.  God believes that we have something to contribute, that we can make a difference, that our words and actions can help bring more fully into fruition the kingdom of God.

November 17:   Do Not Be Led Astray

Time and time again we read in the Bible the words:  “Do not be afraid for I am with you.” 

Our lessons remind us that we are not alone in our fearful response to what we perceive as frightening and world-altering events in our own time.  But then we hear the words of Jesus:  “Do not be alarmed.  Do not be afraid for I am with you.”

We keep our eyes on Jesus.  We stay alert and remain watchful.  We are not to let the widows, orphans, and others on the margins suffer.  We are not to go off and wring our hands in despair, reacting to every post that crosses our screen.  We are to be the people of God and be about the business of God in this world – right here and right now.

Now more than ever we need people to hear the good news and need to help people find communities of faith where they are welcome, where they can come just as they are.  Now more than ever we need to sing songs of joy and hope and to act with courage and conviction.

November 24:  What is Truth?

What is truth?  It is a serious question.  Many loud voices are calling us to heed to their “truth” which makes seeking the truth increasingly difficult these days.  We try to look to those who are considered to be experts in their field but even then we are apt to receive conflicting results.

We, as Christians, hold certain things to be true and we are not to bend from these truths when challenged.  We believe that God created the heavens and the earth and meant it to all be good.  We believe that God created us in his image and made us stewards over his creation.  We believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died and rose again to save and redeem us.  We believe we are saved by grace through faith and not by the works of the law.

And because we believe these things, it helps us then to make good and right moral decisions:  We must love our neighbors.

….Jesus said that he came into this world to witness to the truth, the truth that God is love. So how, then can we reflect that truth to others?

 For those who want more than theory today, I offer a practical list:

We are called to value all people.  Grounded in God’s love we start by valuing ourselves and seeing ourselves through the lens of God.

We are called to hang out with people who may not sound like us and who may not agree with us.  Jesus has a saying that our faith is not characterized by how deeply we love our friends.  Our faith is characterized by how deeply we love our enemies.

We are called to remember that truth and love are bound together in hope.  We are called to remember to be the church – keep confessing.  Stay accountable.  Take responsibility.  Stop blaming.  Keep hoping.  Listen, and above all, keep loving.  We (and everyone around us) will benefit.

By turning to God, I am beginning to find my footing again after the election.  I want to be in relationship with people who voted differently than me, and to have a say in the future direction of our country.  I will endeavor in all my interactions to speak truth as I see it in love.  I won’t always get it right, but I am grateful for my faith, my church community, and for my extended family of believers at Tysons Interfaith – who inspire me and help me navigate every day.

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.