The most important question in this election

Who do you want to be?

I’ve been pondering a question for weeks: When everything is said and done, and one side wins and the other loses, who have we become?

Full disclosure–I am not American, and therefore, I don’t vote in the United States. I am originally from Venezuela and Canadian through the gift of immigration. Democracy and the right to vote aren’t things I take for granted. Every time I’ve been able to exercise my right to cast a vote, I have done so, grateful for the freedom and privilege.

I spent my formative years in the United States. My closest, oldest friendships are American. I learned to drive there. I finished high school and went to my junior and senior proms there. It’s where I went to university and became a follower of Jesus. It is a country where I built a life and left roots in friendships that, by God’s grace, continue over thirty years later.

I care for the nation both personally and as a global citizen. What happens there has an undeniable influence on the rest of the world. Given the United States's geopolitical leadership and position in the world economy, the outcome of the presidential election in the United States and the season leading up to it affect and inform the mood beyond its borders.  

I have felt anxiety over the outcome of the US election. As a Christian, a Latin woman, and an immigrant, I have opinions and emotions about the rhetoric, policies each candidate stands for, etc., much like I do about my adopted country, Canada, and my birth country, Venezuela. Though each has radically different circumstances and political realities, a common thread is how politics and everyday life inform and form one another.

A few weeks ago, reading one of my favourite newsletters, Moore to the Point, Dr. Russell Moore’s weekly newsletter, I paused over a couple of sentences and wrote them in my journal to remember and revisit these quotes, which I’ve done often. Dr. Moore wrote, “The way to beat the Devil [is] to refuse to become like him.” The words acted like a cultural mirror being held up, reflecting what was and what could and should be our attitudes toward one another in light of politics.

A few lines later, he added, “The only life worth living is the one that’s lost” (Matthew 16:25), alluding to the question Jesus posed of what benefits a man to gain the world if he loses his soul. That verse always feels personal to me. It reminds me of my experience with burnout serving at the altar of success; it sheds light on how we can lose ourselves in something we want.

In the sermon at my church this past Sunday, our pastor talked about cross-shaped values. The central question was, what does a life well lived look like? He went over the beatitudes, reading each one from the Bible and adding an illustration to modernize the context. Reminding us that blessed is often translated as “happy,” he proceeded.

“Happy are the meek because they’re not controlled by power; they do not need to show off. They don’t have to win every argument or be first in every competition.”

“Happy are the merciful, who do not take joy in others’ pain. Who do not take joy in seeing anyone get what they deserve.”

“Happy are the pure in heart, who do not deceive others or themselves. Who don’t wear masks for everyone, and who treat others with calculation, thinking of them as transactions.”

“Happy are the peacemakers, who apologize freely, cringe violence, and are not dividers. Whose presence is not argumentative, who let things go, and don’t need to have the last word.”

“Happy are the persecuted, who tell the truth and don’t need everyone to like them, and whose obedience is more important than their CV. Whose compass is not the mirror of themselves.”

Amidst heated rhetoric and emotions that often feel like quicksand swallowing us whole, these words anchor the soul to reality seen through God’s eyes. As followers of Jesus, we are happy and blessed when we follow His way, however counterintuitive or difficult that way may be.

Know who you want to be.

Depending on the issue, as a Christian, Latina, an immigrant, and a woman, I find common ground with policies in both political parties. So, depending on the conversation, I could be taken for a Republican or a Democrat, using the US political nomenclature. If I were American, I would surely exercise my freedom to vote prayerfully and gladly.

Beyond that, though, there is a stand that cannot be negotiated or watered down in the process. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an independent, an American, or a foreigner, if you are a follower of Jesus, you always belong to a Kingdom that began when God became man and dwelt among us, and you always have a neighbour you are called to love as yourself.

Beyond, who will you vote for? Or who do you hope will win the White House? As important as those questions are, there is one more crucial question:

Who are you becoming through this electoral season, and who do you want to be after it?