Tonight, I am mindful that no matter the outcome of the election, people I love and care about will be disappointed, hurt, and even fearful. I wish I could take that feeling away from everyone and tomorrow could be a day of hope and peace for all of us. That’s the impossible dream, isn’t it? Still, I have hope.

I have hope that we voted our convictions and sought the Lord’s will for all people, all created in the image of God. It is my deep hope that we prayerfully considered one another and will continue to remember the inherent value of each person. It is my deep hope that we will seek to love one another as God first loved us.

May we look for the common goals and shared values. Everyone I know went to the polls to vote in hopes of doing the right thing and in hopes of voting on behalf of others. The people that I know personally are responsible citizens who care about lives, but those people didn’t all vote the same way.

Embarrassingly enough, younger me wanted to change the world with my opinions and would have taken to social media as a keyboard warrior. A somewhat older version of me knows that I don’t have all the answers and that it isn’t all black and white when I’m thinking about choices that affect lives. There are nuances and things I understand from different perspectives. We all made hard choices today and we need to give ourselves grace as we reflect on those choices.

May I suggest that we have even more grace for one another? It’s a blessing that we come to the table with different experiences and perspectives so that we can collectively make wise decisions.

I am deeply burdened by the realization that, no matter the outcome, approximately half the people I know will have overwhelming feelings of sadness, grief, despair, or fear. Here’s what I can say without a doubt about tomorrow. Jesus is on His throne.

Our God reigns and He will still be Lord of all. No matter who sits in any office or which amendments pass or not, my life will remain deeply devoted to following the One who never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will direct our paths. He numbers our days. He will have the last word. Nothing will surprise our great God.

And the Psalmist wrote, “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

That will be the same tomorrow when the election results come in. We’ve done our civic duty. We’ve sought wisdom. We did our part and nothing, not one election result, will change God’s good plans.

He is good and I want to remind us all of that. We need to renew our hearts and minds now. We’ve done our part and Jesus is on the throne. Here’s a post-election playlist from me to you.

It’s the only thing I can think to offer as we face uncertainty. May we fix our hearts and our minds on what is truly certain and never changing. No matter the political outcome, this world is not our home. We’re only pilgrims passing through this world and our hope isn’t in the one in office but in the One true God. Jesus is the King of all Kings. May we rest in Him. Let us live the second most important commandment boldly tomorrow. Love your neighbor as yourself. Let that love for one another be a light that shines when the world feels dark.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1:5

From my heart to yours,

~Courtney