Unpopular Opinion
Today has been a hard day. In some ways, the day after any election is hard, but this year is different, as issues run much deeper and this election is much more personal and the stakes are a lot higher.
I've tried to sort through my feelings, which means I've had to take a serious break from the internet. There is so much toxicity on both sides, which is why I'm compelled to sit here at my laptop and try to make sense of what I think.
I just keep thinking about love. It's a totally simple word with an entirely complex meaning. And there just doesn't seem to be enough of it floating around. And I'm about to drop a major unpopular opinion on y'all.
“I’m not going to insult Donald Trump. I’m not perfect, I might slip up, but I will not intentionally post something hateful about him on the internet. This is not because I care for him in any way or support his policies or his hateful words. It is because we have been commanded to love”
“We have been commanded to love our enemies”
We have been commanded to be like Jesus (1 John 2:6). And Jesus loved. He loved everyone. He loves Donald Trump. He loves Hillary Clinton. He loves you.
Let me be clear. When I talk about loving Donald Trump, I don't mean putting a Trump sign in your yard. I'm not talking about becoming a champion for the wall he wants to build or accepting his remarks as OK. It DOES mean that we don't publicly shame him or treat him the same way he is treating others. It's like the good old fashioned "kill them with kindness" trick. We show compassion and empathy and try to show him who Jesus is.
Here's the thing; God doesn't look at Donald Trump and see a terrible, horrible human. He sees a sinner in need of Christ. He sees us all as the same, and when we love Jesus and have a relationship with Him, God sees the Christ in us.
I think this is hard for us to swallow. It's so easy to think that our sins aren't as bad as someone else's because they aren't out in the open. There's no news crew following me around, but Jesus knows my heart. When I gossip and say rude things about a friend, the world might not know, but God does. I might not be making blatantly racist and sexist remarks, but I do still sin. And in God's eyes, sin is sin is sin is sin (Romans 6:23). But what he also sees is Jesus.
So if I'm really trying to live like the woman I was created to be, a women created in the image of God, how can I spread hate, even if it's towards someone I don't think is worthy? I can't, because I'm also not worthy. None of us are (Romans 3:23).
The thing we are quick to forget is that God is sovereign. His people have had rulers worse than Trump, and he's delivered them. He didn't promise us that life following Christ would be easy. In fact, He said it would often be hard. But He did promise it would be worth it. So I'm trying to swallow my sinful nature and live like Jesus. And yes, that means showing love to Donald Trump.
**To all those who feel threatened and afraid and unsafe after this election, please know that I will fight beside you. We have work to do, and I want to work with you. But I will not fight with hate.**