A King and a Kingdom

We voted today over Paul's lunch break. It was an honor to take our kids into the polling place and exercise a costly American freedom. We are grateful for those who have sacrificed their lives for such a privilege as this.

Tonight we will forgo sleep to watch a giddy Wolf Blitzer, Brian Williams, and a seemingly always angry Keith Olberman report the election results. We will surf news media channels and hear how Americans also exercised their right.

Tomorrow we will drag ourselves out of bed and go about our ordinary routines no matter who gets elected. Paul will head to work and I'll head to a friend's home to drink coffee, share stories, and allow our kids to play together. The nation as a whole will also go about its normal everyday happenstance.

There will be single moms waiting on tables to get by one more day. There will be senior citizens who have been cut by the bottom line. There will be teachers trying to make a difference in the lives of students. There will be nurses changing IV fluids and doctors sharing hard news. There will be politicians wielding power. There will be people who need to hear about Jesus.

Tomorrow we will enter into another harried day. On hearing final results, some will be excitedly giddy. Others will stare straight ahead of them, traumatized in despair. There will be the apathetic among us who don't care either way. There may be riots and protests and always ugly racial acts. Whatever happens, we know the world will be looking on.

Whatever happens, there is also a King looking on. And not just looking, but fully engaged and working amongst us. A King with a Kingdom and a love for His people that looks beyond flags and empires and elephants and donkeys. This King, this Jesus, has told us that we're a citizen of a different kingdom, a forever one. (Philippians 3:20) We've been asked to pray for

His kingdom to come, His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven... (Matthew 6:10)

Yeah, today we performed our civic duty to vote. But tomorrow we've got just as much work to do at the polls of our beliefs. If His kingdom is to be ushered onto this soil, we've got to live out His word to defend the rights of the fatherless, the weak, the poor, the alien, the marginalized...We've got to live out His word.

If we're pro-life, then we've got to put substance behind our votes. Counsel a pregnant teenager and support a crisis pregnancy center. And if we're really pro-life, then be advocates of the lives that have been born. Give to children in the foster care system, be advocates for adoption, and tutor a child and give them a chance with education.

If we're really God followers, we can't subscribe to this whole doom and gloom thing that I've heard echoed by Christians all over the place. Our hope is not in this kingdom of America, nor in our president. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. We have hope embodied in God who conquered even death. We have hope in the Holy Spirit who convicts and challenges and comforts. We have hope in the word of God, the good news that is still good news. We have this One Hope, and that Hope should pattern our thoughts, our to-do lists, our dreams. And this Hope is as secure as an anchor. (Hebrews 6:19) It's as secure as ever.

Whatever happens, there is a King and a Kingdom and a Hope and a Purpose etched on our lives. Our purpose is to seek and trust and love and usher His kingdom to this earth. The life that Jesus calls us to should never be easy, but should always offer hope - always.