Choosing Hope and Responsibility in a Time of Election

This week our nation will elect a new president and several other officials at all levels of government. With an election, the news agencies post results of many different polls and surveys. One that I found surprising was from the Pew Research Center. They reported that just 15% of us believe people run for political office because they have a desire to serve the public. Being a professed optimist, I would place myself among the 15%. I will confess that sometimes I can be naive. Or maybe it is less about being an optimist and more about being a person of hope.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust”, or as a verb “wanting something to happen or be the case.” Rather than hearing about hope as we face these elections, I have heard many speak over the past weeks of anxiety, nervousness, and even fear. Others have spoken about frustration, disappointment, exhaustion, and conflict among family and friends. It seems many are feeling as if we are living in times of significant darkness. These feelings are often the result of putting trust in places other than God. 

Saint John of the Cross said, “Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.”

Our first reading and Gospel reading for this Sunday call us to “love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” That means placing our full faith and trust in God. He will guide us, He will protect us, and in the end He will afford us the gift of eternal life. No one or nothing else can make that promise. 

At the same time, we do need to work with God. A love for our neighbor needs to be practiced or God’s work cannot be seen in our world. Putting love of neighbor into action means acting and living responsibly. We would all agree, driving at an excessive speed is not living responsibly. It is putting lives in jeopardy. Similarly, if we are able to vote, living responsibly means exercising this right. Remember, in Wisconsin you can register to vote on election day at your designated polling place. You will need a document that proves your residency, such as a driver’s license, utility bill, credit card statement, or pay stub with your address on it. Also to vote, you will need a photo ID. See it as an expression of loving your neighbor. 

Even more, if you know of someone unable to drive to a voting place, make sure he or she has a ride. See it as another way of loving your neighbor, even if you don’t agree politically. Although political ads are often negative, educate yourself on the issues and positions of the candidates. Again, see this as taking action to love your neighbor, as you are doing what is the responsible thing to do. Pray in gratitude for all who are willing to put their name on a ballot. It takes great courage to run for a political office. And whether you believe someone is doing out of a sense of a desire to serve, be a bit optimistic that they are and love them by offering a prayer of gratitude. Finally, as the election results come in, pray for those elected to office. Many will receive our criticism; all are deserving and in need of our prayers. And as Saint John of the Cross said, in the end cast your cares upon our God. He will protect us as no one else can. Even difficult times are not a sign of His abandoning us. For Him to ever leave us would be wrong.