V is for Victory

What with the long hours visiting family, we were a bit sleepy at that time of the night, so I brought up the question sure to keep us both awake. Our country’s upcoming election. I love to listen whenever my hubby gets on a bit of a soap box. We’re pretty good at solving the world’s problems together. (We got married in order to do it more effectively.)

It’s easy to tend towards the doom and gloom perspective, with the economy and all. Everyone you talk to has a different opinion. But most are pretty sure the world’s falling down around us. And if we look at Scripture, we know that’s true. But that doesn’t mean we have to walk around with long faces, or worse yet hide at home waiting for it to crumble down upon us.

You see, we know Who wins. No, I don’t know if it will be McCain or Obama placing their hand on the Bible come January. I’m not even sure if our state is going to get a conservative governor yet. But my Bible, and the one used for swearing in the President (we still do use a Bible for this, and that’s a good sign), is very clear about Who wins in the end: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And whether He’s coming tomorrow, or whether He’s coming in another thousand years, we should be living our lives the same way: to honor and glorify Him.

Yes, our country may face another Great Depression. My hubby likes to point out that it might be really good for us. We just might get what we deserve as a country. But that doesn’t change the fact that God is still in control.

It’s always a good idea to have some extra food stored away in case of any sort of disaster, and to make sure you own more of your house and land than the bank does. But whether a recession takes away everything we own bit by bit, or a fire or flood wipes it all away in minutes, God is still our Provider.

And whether we hear that trump tomorrow or we hear it from our graves, we should still be raising our children to love and serve the Lord. It’s good for little ones to know what is going on in the world. It’s good for them to know that hard times may come, that we are not guaranteed to always have everything handed to us on a silver platter. It’s good for them to learn how America was founded on principles of religious freedom, but that our freedoms are slowly slipping away. It’s good for them to learn to pray for people in other countries who are suffering because they claim the name of Jesus. But we don’t want to raise our children with nothing but doom and gloom. There is joy in serving Jesus and living for Him. And there is an eternity in Heaven with Him to look forward to. That’s enough to keep us singing, even on November 5.

I know who I would like to see come out on top on Election Day. Just as I helped my mommy vote for Ronald Reagan 24 years ago, I let my little girl help fill in the box next to John McCain’s name on my ballot. No, I’m sure I don’t agree with everything the man has done or stands for. No, he probably won’t be focusing all his efforts on overturning Roe v. Wade. But neither has he promised that one of the first things he does in office will be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

I’d a whole lot rather see two mavericks in the White House than the alternative. And unfortunate as it may be, there is only one alternative in this country right now. It’s still a two-party system. I might like the politics of some third party candidates better at times. But as my hubby says, when a third party can at least get someone elected to Congress or the Senate, then we might consider voting for them in a Presidential election. If they can’t even get elected to a state-wide office, how do they expect to make it to the White House? Instead they split the vote, tipping the polls in favor of someone whose politics is incredibly opposite to theirs.

Every vote does count. Four years ago, after three re-counts, our conservative gubernatorial candidate lost by just 130 votes. (I didn’t live in this state then, but a certain boyfriend of mine told me all about it.) Of course, that third re-count was paid for by the other candidate, and since then there’s been a purge of thousands of deceased and felon voters from the voter database, but the news doesn’t usually highlight that fact.

We’re praying that God’s will be done in this election. We’re praying that God’s people will vote for life. We’re praying that God’s people will get out and vote.

But even if none of the candidates we voted for win this election, we know that we still have victory in Jesus. That’s the only sure thing in this life, my hubby and I concluded in our long drive home. And that is the only victory that really matters.