Before anyone gets too excited, rest assured, I haven’t changed my mind on things. Joe Biden is my president. Not because I voted for him (which I did not). Certainly not because I want him to be. Joe Biden is my president because I am an American citizen and the powers that be (for better or for worse) have confirmed him.
I honestly don’t know whether or not this election was a fair one. I believe it probably was not, but that is beyond my realm of knowledge and probably above your pay grade too. What I do know is that our current form of government is better than the anarchy that sounds so attractive to so many.
I remain uncertain of my conclusion on the events that took place at our nation’s capital on January sixth. I am certainly against unnecessary violence, but I also believe there comes a time that a show of force is necessary to remind “public servants” who they serve. As a Christian American, I walk a fine line between submitting to authorities and standing for our freedoms.
At the end of the day, I’m not planning on storming the capitol or causing any kind of civil unrest. I say this, not because I am afraid, but because I am trying to keep the advice of the Apostle Paul - “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18) There are ways to express our disunion with policies and officials that do not require militant action or violent aggression.
I realize that people who say “not my president” are merely harkening back to those who said the same thing during the Trump administration, but it was childish then and it’s childish now. We can do better. Since the founding of this country, people have sat under the leadership of presidents they did not like or agree with. We can do it too.
Does that mean we just lay over and die? No. Does it mean that we just sit back and watch the freedoms and values of this nation disappear? No. It means we take necessary and measured action toward righting wrongs. It means we get rid of useless career politicians by voting them out. It means we stand in the public square instead of hiding behind social media accounts.
Could there come a time where forming a militia to defend American freedom becomes necessary? Perhaps. Is that day today? I cannot speak for anyone else, but I’m not there yet. I still see hope for our republic. That hope is not in any man or woman. That hope is in the fact that God still reigns supreme and nothing can change that.
I am not a coward. I don’t say these things because I don’t see what is happening. I do see what is happening (article on that coming soon). I simply cannot condone the sore loser attitude or the violent aggression people get wrapped up in.
I voted for a third party candidate in 2016 because I did not know what a Trump presidency would look like. I saw it for myself and voted for him in 2020. My vote did not win. End of story. I wish it did. But it didn’t. I wish the big reveal that QAnons keep talking about would happen, but it probably won’t.
For now, I will continue waking up, going to work, coming home to my family, worshiping at church, and living life as usual. Those things are far more important than trying to figure out the world’s problems. In fact, neglect of those things is what got us here.
I’m not telling anyone to just drop it and move on. We humans are not very good at that. Keep fighting for what is important. But you will be able to fight a more focused war when you accept the loss of a single battle.
And please remember,
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:12