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April 23rd 2022 at Prince of Peace.

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Kevin's Corner

Hey, Halloween's coming, when people pretend they're something they're not. And the election's coming, when people pretend they're something they're not. I see a pattern! And here's another similarity: both Halloween and elections are times to be scared! You know, we've been around long enough to see a lot of elections, and this one is probably one of the weirdest. The candidates we have had can barely speak, badly speak, or brashly speak. We've had bullets flying, candidates lying, and foreign countries prying. If you ask the average voter who they're voting for, they'll say "I'm voting for so-and-so because I CAN'T STAND the other one." It's become more about who to reject than who to elect.

What if you want to reject both candidates? Then what do you do? Good question. And here's a better one: What does God want us to do? A consistent theme in the Bible is that we are to be good stewards of what God has entrusted us with. "Steward" is just an old-sounding, odd-sounding word for taking good care of something. Like to be good stewards we should use the money God's put in our hands sensibly, the time He's given us thoughtfully, and the opportunities He's provided for us wisely. And voting is one of those opportunities. 

The Bible says "Do everything, both word and deed, in the name of Christ." Col 3:17 Everything that we do should honor Jesus.

When we vote for a candidate, we should evaluate two things, and it's not hairstyle or race. It's what good they will bless our nation with, and what bad they will curse it with. Think of the issues that are important. We all have different lists. Perhaps yours includes taxes, the national debt, our national morals, the unborn children, Israel, or the military. Evaluate each candidate's stances on such issues, and vote for the one that will bless our nation more, or at least, curse it less.

But remember that no matter what happens, the ultimate answer doesn't fit into a ballot box. It fits in the hands of almighty God.

Covid changed our culture in so many ways, and probably the worst one is a hostile "us versus them" mentality. It's beyond polarization. It's a complete denial of someone's humanity if they don't agree with you. (It's actually the same mentality a murderer must have in order to kill.) You've heard about reaching across the aisle, right? That means trying to make nice with people on the other side; almost no one does that nowadays. 

Let me tell you a story.

Many years ago, out in the country, lived two neighbors, Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson. They were both born and raised in the area and were close friends since kindergarten. They went to the same schools, had the same friends, but unfortunately, when they entered college, they pursued the same girl. They were at each other's throats for years. Neither of them won. She moved away, but the animosity between them remained.

Thirty years passed. They grew much older, never married, and happened to end up with farms next to each other. A long, narrow ditch separated their properties. They never spoke to one another, unless it was to blame the other for a tree that fell down onto their land, or a dead animal that was found near their mutual ditch. One day Smith got the idea to build a tall fence along the ditch so he wouldn't have to look at his neighbor at all. So he bought a load of lumber, hired a carpenter, and told him what he wanted. Smith left for a week, and got a call from the carpenter that the job was done. He quickly drove back, excited to see that his view of his neighbor was now blocked.

Imagine his surprise when he came home and found a big, beautiful bridge over the ditch instead of a fence inside of it. He was livid, and ran back into the house to call the carpenter. There was no answer, so he yelled his message into the receiver. Slamming the phone down, he stormed back out to glare at the silly bridge. Lo and behold, his neighbor Mr. Johnson was standing on Mr. Smith's property, at the foot of the bridge. Smith was about to scream at him, until he noticed the tear-filled eyes of his neighbor. 

Mr. Johnson spoke, haltingly. "All these years I've felt so bad about how our friendship ended, and how we've become enemies. I couldn't bring myself to talk with you, but you...you...you did this amazing, wonderful thing, to reach out to me with this bridge. We have so much to catch up on!"

The two men walked off, bouncing along and laughing as childhood friends are wont to do.

The next day, the carpenter dropped by, prepared for the worst. Mr. Smith said to him, "Just forget everything I said. You did a great job! I've got more projects for you!" The carpenter softly smiled, and replied "I'd like to do more, but I finished what I came here to do. I'm now needed elsewhere." With that, they shook hands, and the carpenter strode off down the road.   

No matter who the winner is in this election, just don't you become the loser. Keep your cool. Keep in mind that the answer does not lie in a candidate. The only real lasting solution lies with a carpenter, who was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, and has been building bridges ever since.

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