A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11

Part of my vision for my blog is for it to be something people can read at the onset of their day, perhaps with a mug of hot coffee in hand, before the rest of the house wakes up, still dressed in their comfies. I see it as a step above mindless scrolling or checking the feeds, not to be read before the Bible, but to supplement a contemplative life. It should bring a bit of peace into people’s hearts to take hold and grow throughout the rest of the day.

For these reasons, I do not want to delve deep into cultural conflicts or national politics. I do not want people to begin their day with striving, stress, or fear. Those are not from God. However, I have recently been convicted, after praying for our country, seeing both positive and negative posts from people on my social media pages, and watching Lex Fridman’s recent interview with Jordan Peterson, of the danger of cowardice in the endeavor of engaging the culture.

I am a Christian. I would love for everyone to have the life-giving relationship with my God, Jesus Christ, through His Spirit that I do. I do not want my words or actions to bring reproach upon Him or turn someone away from the peace, joy, and grace I have found in Him.

I am also temporal, placed by God into a specific time and place for a reason. I have been uniquely wired by God and given the freedom to form my own opinions and have my own analyses about the world in which I live. 

I also tend to be, as a set point of comfort, nonconfrontational. I deeply empathize with people and have a bit of a bleeding heart, so I never want anyone to feel unheard or unwanted. On the flip side of that, however, is a more morally grey issue of cowardice and timidity. The Bible does not substantiate Christians having a fear of people. My struggle — and the struggle of the silent majority of Christians, I would wager — is parsing out the difference between meekness, as Jesus extols, and timidness, as He never once exemplifies. How can we be meek even as we boldly share His Good News and confront cultural lies and strongholds?

That is my preface for this post, for what it is worth.

I will start by saying that both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump claim to be Christians, or at least believe in God. In 2024, for the nation that is the leader of the postmodern world, that both of our presidential candidates openly call on the name of God is a pretty incredible fact. We might have our opinions on those claims, but at least we have that mutual starting point.

I will not say which way I will vote on November 5, but I do have a few thoughts on a few issues that will probably rub both Republicans and Democrats the wrong way. Voting for a single issue cannot override our discernment in every other area of choosing a leader, in reasons both political and common sense. Both candidates have made lofty claims and promises, but, especially as a millenial, I am skeptical of all of them. Both candidates also have gaping moral failings, and I have seen both sides of the aisle completely ignore problematic behaviors and philosophies for the sake of bolstering up the person who backs the one issue they think trumps everything else. 

Throughout the Bible, leaders rose and fell based on their moral character and their submission to God or rebellion against God. Beyond the few big binary oppositions at stake, the constistent character profiles that emerge should be weighed more heavily by we who fear the Lord. 

In my opinion, it is embarrassing when Christians “go all in” (usually by shouting it online or to their friends and family) about an issue like abortion, yet they turn a blind eye to claims that we do not care enough about women. To be clear, I do not think a third trimester abortion is ever medically necessary, and I do get tired of the argumentation tactic of using the most obscure and unlikely statistic to base an entire policy on; however, when millions of people, many of them Christians themselves, think that the Church has failed women and that women should have bodily autonomy in making these decisions above and against having the law enforce them, we should at least listen. 

Through Jesus we have the capacity to hold our convictions and mercy in both hands, and this goes for all political issues and the ways in which we see, think, and talk about these candidates and issues. Harris, Trump, Democrats, Republicans, pro-life, pro-choice, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people… they are all humans made in the image of God, and if the characteristics of the Spirit-filled new creation flee when political arguments enter the chat, we are cowards who only follow Christ’s example when it is convenient for us.

Is this the picture people see when they see you? Is this who we look for in our next president? Before I write anything else on this subject, I want to make sure this vision is clear: the goal is bringing God’s kingdom to earth, and the only way we do that — not by any singular public policy — but by believers who are wholly submitted to God’s will in their lives, loving God and loving people.