Can Your Friendship Survive This Vicious Election Season?
We have a LONG month ahead of us. Feelings are running high. The U.S. presidential race is intense (and increasingly rated R). How can we be sure that we survive this month as children of God and maintain peace and unity as the Body of Christ?I don't know about you, but I have friends on both sides of the aisle. And I have plenty of friends sitting right on the sidelines in protest with both thumbs down.I wanted to write a note to you to remind you to stay united in Christ even as this U.S. presidential election threatens to tear at the fabric of our society.
Focus on Your Commonalities
Recognize that you share values with friends rooting for/against either party. You wouldn't be friends if you didn't. Don't let the election grind down your important and complex values into sharp sound bites.Same ValuesYou may have the exact same list of values as your friends on the other side, but you might just have them in a different order. Your priority for this election might not be his/her priority. It doesn't mean you don't share the value.Same ConcernsYou may have the same list of concerns as your friends on the other side, but you see the ugliness of one concern more than the other. It doesn't mean you don't share it.The devil's job is to divide. He wants to amplify your difference because your unity is dangerous to him. Don't let him do it.Same CitizenshipRemember your primary citizenship is a heavenly one. Remember your primary identity is that of a Christian. (And if it's not, you're probably in the wrong place here.)I am so psychologically and emotionally drained by this election that I felt desperately that we all needed to remember WHO our God is.So I spent the week creating for you an e-mail series with verses of peace and power and affirmation. It is just what I need - a daily injection of something other than politics, something stronger and more primal - the promises of the Creator. If it's just what you need, too, go check it out!
Sign up for 20 Days of Peace (Oct. 21 to Nov. 9) - a daily verse to put God back at the center of your day. If this election is making you feel nauseous, this could be just the "diet" you're looking for.
Bonus! A New Lock Screen
And now I wanted to give you an immediate mood changer to end this post. I wanted to set you up for peace RIGHT. NOW. So I created this lock screen for you... I know it's been a while since I did those, but I know I need this reminder. As one amazing friend put it, "Laura, we know how the story ends. We've already read the last chapter."
Click to open and save/download. Set it as your phone's lockscreen. It's sized for the iPhone 6.
20 Days of Peace: An Election Season Cleanse
And remember to sign up for 20 Days of Peace.
I also found two excellent articles on this topic from a secular point of view, if you want to dwell more on this topic of friendship and politics.This Question Will Help Your Friendships Survive This Election Season (a deep, emotional, and courageous piece)Your friendships won’t survive the election (a frank look at Facebook's effect on our friendships)