Jason, who are you voting for?

 I’ve been asked a lot in the last few weeks who I’m VOTING for.

The question for me isn’t so much ‘who’ I’m voting for, it’s ‘what’ I’m voting for. Neither one of these candidates thrills me, honestly. So I’m not voting for a person, I’m voting for ideas that are most in alignment with my values right now in human history.

I value the family.

I value God.

I value the poor.

I value freedom.

I value equality.

I value unborn life.

I value privacy.

I value education.

I value the constitution.

I value protection.

I value truth.

I value human rights.

I value opportunity.

I value justice.

I value free speech.

I value civility.

I value gainful employment.

I value our children.

I value our history.

I value our future.

I value peace.

I value religious freedom.

I value marriage.

I value the planet.

I value our nation.

I value other nations.

I value diversity.

I value job creation.

I value unity.

As you can see, neither candidate checks all the boxes, so I’m not looking for Jesus Christ to be on the ticket. But these are values that guide me at the voting booth. Some years, certain values are more important to me than others depending on what I sense is at the greatest risk culturally. So my emphasis of what’s most important changes slightly with every election cycle, but these core concerns act as a filter and a lens when I’m struggling to come to a decision with clear vision.

Coming into tomorrow, I hope you will vote your values. If it helps you, write them out and then see which political platform has better alignment. Not perfect, but better. Think about what God cares about as you vote, not just what you personally care about.

Whatever you do, get out and vote. It is such a precious gift. We don’t come close to comprehending how powerful it is to cast our ballot. My vote matters just as much as the richest person, or the most famous person, or the smartest person. Everyone gets just one vote and everyone’s vote is no more or less valuable than anyone else’s. That’s powerful stuff to consider!

I love our country. I don’t like it on some days, but I can’t help but be so incredibly grateful for this nation with all it’s flaws. I’m not incredibly political by nature, but I do care about the future of this nation and the world, so it’s important to realize the consequences of each election and who we put into office. Not just the president, but every local, regional, state, and national official. It’s a big deal.

And no matter who becomes president tomorrow, I will pray for them and root for them to be successful in all they do. When our president is successful, it’s good for all of us. It does no good to wish for their demise and destruction.

I’ll end with John Wesley’s wise words as he approached the election on October 6, 1774…

“I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them…

1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy

2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and

3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

So for all those who have asked me about my vote in the last several months, here are my feeble thoughts. After all is said and done, I pray my heart will be kind in victory and gracious in defeat. Whatever the outcome, God is in control. Never forget that.