So your candidate _________. Now What?
Over the weekend a little thing called the election seems to have drawn to a close.
Screen times on our mobile devices and TV’s were up everywhere as we waited to see the results of a very close race. Curiously, the nation’s attention turned to a state not exactly known for it’s pivotal electoral votes - Nevada (and it’s 6 votes in case you’re curious).
I live in Northern Nevada, and while most of the nation had counted or were completing their count, I was probably like you were - hitting refresh on the election news sites or searching websites to see who had the most updated information.
Click to enlarge.
But for a little while, Nevada had captured the nation, even if just for a few days. Those 6 votes did suddenly seem pivotal. And with no quick answers in sight, the meme culture quickly responded with gems such as the one on the right.
I must admit it, I looked at and laughed over quite a few.
Memes can be harsh, funny, enlightening and viral. But in this case they symbolized the desire of the people - to determine who our next Commander-in-Chief would be. In my lifetime, I’m not sure I’ve seen a more divisive election, and COVID obviously doesn’t help with all of us being restricted, moody, scared, uncertain or just wondering how we can pay teachers more to take our kids. Join me in a ‘gofundme’ campaign anyone?
We wanted answers as to who our next leader would be, and right now, it looks like we have that answer. As with every election though, there is this dichotomy of ‘my candidate won’ and ‘my candidate lost.’ Emotions abound on either side - anger, joy, frustration, relief, outrage, acceptance, rejection, partying, lamenting and a litany of others.
Here are the big questions in the aftermath:
What should we do when our candidate wins?
What should we do when our candidate loses?
Here’s my take on each of these, I hope it’s helpful for this week.
So your candidate WON. Now What?
Don’t Gloat. No one likes gloating. It does’t unite, it divides. It’s helpful to be reminded that any candidate’s victory isn’t all encompassing - four years from now they may not win again. So if you gloat and parade that ‘your candidate won’ it may well be that you’ll be getting that same response, maybe more vehemently, in the near future. Do your part to break the cycle of animosity and be kind and compassionate to what the ‘losing side’ may be going through. Your compassion and kindness in victory will go farther than it would in defeat.
Proverbs 24:17 "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice."
Hold your candidate accountable. Hopefully the reason you voted for your candidate, what they value, or what their party values is you’d like to either see some change that wasn’t happening before, or you are happy with the change that they brought and would like it to continue. Elected officials are supposed to represent the will of the people. They are supposed to speak for us and act on our behalf. We obviously aren’t involved in every decision but we also can’t take our hands off the wheel in holding them as representatives of the voters, our states, our nation and our values. If victory in the election is all you’re after, it rings hollow if the candidate doesn’t represent the people well.
Stay engaged with the issues. To the point above, victory in the election is probably not what you’re after. Elections can sometimes be similar to attendance in churches across the country at Easter - there’s a lot of time, effort, finances and interest at a specific time of the year, but it falls off a cliff afterwards. If you’re truly behind your candidate, their values and seek change, stay engaged and motivated. Follow their actions and words to make sure they represent you well, but also stay informed so that all of this energy, time and investment isn’t just for an event that happens on November 3rd.
2. So your candidate LOST. Now What?
Don’t Pout. For many of you, this election either isn’t over, or you can’t or won’t accept the results. There may be some legitimacy as the President has tasked his legal team with questioning and finding evidence of voter fraud in Pennsylvania today. If there is legitimacy in these claims then hopefully they will be brought to the forefront. If not there will come a time that conceding and accepting the other candidate will be necessary, and hopefully the current president will lead the way in doing so. When you take to social media, talk with friends, people at church or family members acknowledge the race was well fought and although your candidate didn’t win, that (pending the inquiry by the president) Democracy has spoken and live with the the results. After all, what if this happens in your candidate’s favor the next time, wouldn’t you want to receive that from the other side?
Give the other candidate an opportunity to lead. This is probably the hardest part in ‘losing’. You didn’t vote for the other candidate, you may be diametrically opposed to them, their party, their politics and their values. Like it or not however, they are the President Elect and will be the President, and as such they will be leading the nation and making an impact whether you like it or not. Give them a chance to lead and if they do something of value, it’s ok to praise them for it. You’re not betraying your party or your like-minded friends if you do - but if you can’t, you may be betraying that your politics come before people in refusing to acknowledge the good works of someone else simply because you disagree with them.
Remember, there will be another election. One of the best things about our democratic process is that the leadership will change. In four years at the minimum (assuming no impeachment or death of a candidate) and eight at the maximum, you will have the opportunity to evaluate where our country is, where it’s headed and prepare to engage in democracy all over again. You may have ‘lost’ for the time being, but unlike countries that hold farce elections to legitimize the leadership of a dictator, you will have the opportunity again to platform your values, a candidate and your party.
Lastly, if you’re a Christian…
1. Don’t forget who the real enemy is… - It’s not people.
Think about it this way: Make every effort to be at peace with PEOPLE, and take every opportunity to be at war with the POWERS of evil.
Scripture is clear:
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
2. …and where your hope actually comes from. - It’s not politics.
Think about it this way: We must never put the DONKEY or the ELEPHANT before the LAMB.
One day there will only be one who rules:
Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
I hope this was helpful to you this week! Feel free to leave a comment, a disagreement or share if it’s been helpful.
You’re already blessed in Christ.