An Urgent Message
First of all, thank you to everyone who participated over the past couple of weeks in this grand experiment in government we call the United States of America. Whether in-person on November 5, in-person in the previous weeks, or via mail-in absentee ballot, you did something extremely important – you voted!
For the first time in my life, I volunteered to be a “poll watcher” or an “election observer” yesterday. After my 7:00 AM–noon shift, I came away with a number of perspectives I wasn’t thinking about beforehand. I want to share them with you.
First of all, I’m not normally, as I assume most people are not, in a situation to see hundreds of people (800+) as individuals in a few hours’ time. Since I was asked to serve at the local public library polling station in a city of 50,000 people, I saw people of many, many shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. The term “melting pot” came quickly to mind. From college students to businesspeople, from moms with young children to people who looked like they didn’t have much in the way of material possessions, it was truly a cross-section of humanity. One takeaway was how amazingly diverse our population is. As the old saying goes, “It takes all kinds.” Another takeaway was that you can’t tell by looking at someone where they fall on the political spectrum. If you make assumptions about voting preferences by gender, age, or class, you could very well be wrong. For example, pundits tell us this morning that young people increased their support of conservative candidates by over ten percent. That’s very surprising! When looking at all those voters lined up to cast their ballots, you realize that they are all unique individuals, not just a “group of supporters” for a particular candidate. Each has their own story, their own circumstances, and their own opinions about all kinds of topics, including God. It’s pretty cool to see how our republic (or democracy, if you prefer) works. It truly is a group effort!
Perhaps the most striking realization of all is the similarities among all those people. They’re all part of our country and have a right to express their opinion, including through their vote. They all have a mom and a dad. They all have a Heavenly Father. They all have an immortal soul which needs God, whether they realize it or not. I couldn’t tell by looking at them how they voted, but I also couldn’t tell by looking at them if they ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth or, more importantly, knew him as their Savior. As Christians, we can empathize with Jesus when he looked at “the masses” and yearned for them to believe in him. Luke 13:34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
The word “urgency” should come to the mind of every Christian who sees not just a “group”, “mass”, or “herd” of people, but individual people of every size, shape, age, and color, with souls – souls for which Christ lived, suffered, and died. We must find a way to reach out and share Jesus with them. It may be on a personal basis or it may be through a large ministry. We can’t wait. It must be now! Once their vote was cast yesterday, those folks couldn’t go back and change it. Once they die, THEY WILL MEET GOD!