But we are always praying that our eyes may behold greatness, instead of praying that our hearts may be filled with it. ~G.K. Chesterton
It wasn’t a pretty sight. Me, playing intramural college basketball. A mild-mannered music major with no athletic talent, just spunk and dirt and fingernails.
The games would end, the competitive fog clear and I would shake my head, embarrassed. It wasn’t the finer points of basketball I learned that season. Instead I was faced with the unwelcome truth about me.
I hate to lose. I want to be proven right. And in the heat of the moment, I am quick to forget my opponent is not my enemy; the one who out-scores me could be a true friend.
Will We Win?
Today is Election Day. All over this country we place our mark and wait to see who wins.
We’ve learned a lot this year, not so much about candidates, but about us, and who we become when the stakes seem high. And it’s not a pretty sight.
We’ve been bruised and angered, judged and cajoled. We’ve guzzled paranoia and devoured the lies. We’ve excused our side (“They started it!”) and demonized the other. The “Self-Righteousness Detector” has registered an all-time high.
This is the unwelcome truth:
- Our certainty exceeds our wisdom.
- We trust in all the wrong things.
- We would rather destroy community than admit we may be wrong.
I’m hoping for an Election Day miracle–a collective, courageous look in the mirror.
A look from God’s point of view.
It’s all on the table. God’s heard every word, every thought we entertained. He sees where we’re wounded, where we’ve wounded in turn. He’s well-acquainted with our platforms and protests, our doubts and disgust.
But His exit-poll query is not, Whom did you choose? The question He asks us is, Whose will you be?
Whom will you look like? Whose heart will you reflect? Of what stuff were you created–curses or blessing, darkness or light, loathing or loving, apathy or life?
The mirror never lies. The problem is not them, it is us. The problem is not us, it is me.
Election Day Prayer
Jesus, from this day forward,
May my words be wholesome and helpful,
May my eyes always notice the pain,
May my hands be used for your purpose alone,
My feet, to bring hope in your name.
May my posture lean toward the humble,
Away from the arrogant spin,
May my arms open wide to the lost and alone,
May love matter more than a win.
Amen.
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