Currently Reading Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya By Caroline Elkins see related

I have been quite disappointed in the behavior of some of my fellow believers this week.  I've written before about how I think many folks fool themselves into believing that the way they are to treat others doesn't apply to politicians.  In so doing, they allow themselves to rip into human beings who are otherwise decent, intelligent, and undeserving of such attacks.  Not only did I see tons of that in the days leading up to the election, but I also saw believers voice IN VERY PUBLIC FORUMS statements so belligerent, insulting, and nasty that Jerry Springer guests would blush since the results have come out.

While I never was quite so cruel, I remember a time when I, too, made snide remarks about moving abroad at the thought of another man becoming President of the United States.  What was I thinking?!  Where was my respect?  Gosh, I am so embarassed now of the way I have behaved at times in the past.  And I think to myself now, "If the results of the election on Tuesday had been different, would I act as they are?"  And I honestly think the answer is no.  I think that I've grown since those past elections to an understanding that all of our leaders are deserving of our respect, that God told us so explicitly in His Word, that to trust God fully means accepting His decision about who should win elections.  How can we say that we trust in God's sovereignty and yet spit out such arrogant jargon about what a mistake the result of the election was?  I'm confounded.

But beyond all of that, I'm embarassed.  Embarassed that believers would not only behave in such a way, but that they would do so SO PUBLICLY!  Do they hope to build rapport with their communities this way?  Do they think that they are showing at all through their actions that they are different, that they have something the world should want, that they are set apart?  I think they're not and I think it's devastating.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that folks are not entitled to disappointment if they deeply wanted different results than what they got.  I'm not saying that they aren't entitled to shock if a particular race or issue ended up completely differently than they expected.  But these emotions should be a) temporary, b) outlasted by their faith in God's sovereignty, humility, and joy which is not determined by circumstances, and c) possibly, quite possibly, be kept a little closer to their hearts and minds and a little further from their lips, or say, keyboards.

Author's Note:  You're so vain.  I bet you think this post is about you, don't you?  Don't you?  Only assume that this post is about you if you're guilty of the crimes addressed therein.  Otherwise, just evaluate my thoughts as you would any other blog post.