Let's Stay Sober
Sober People Seek To Build Trusting Relationships
by Eric Elkin
How soon we forget. It is not like 2016 was that long ago. The election that year was full of intrigue and accusations. It was juicy enough to think one would remember it. In case you forgot, Hilary Clinton, the Democrat favorite, was upset by the wild card, Donald Trump. She lost despite winning the popular vote.
The day after the election results were announced, spontaneous protests broke out in cities across the country. #NotMyPresident became an entire movement. Disappointment fueled one of the funniest Saturday Night Live shows I can ever remember. Late-night talk show hosts had a field day with their monologues. Some voters were ecstatic, others put on sackcloth, and mourned.
The election results in several battleground states were very close. People demanded a recount. Hilary Clinton was not one of them. Most likely, she remembered the pain Al Gore caused in 2000. Gore didn’t concede the election until December 13th. Still, she wrote a book complaining about the election results. Mostly, it was a journal of pain.
Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober about what is taking place now. President Trump is within his rights to demand verification of results. Despite popular opinion, the media does not ever determine the winner of an election. They report the statistical probability of a victor. The president is not formally elected until the Monday after the second Wednesday in December.
Someone always cheats in an election. At least, there is a group of people claiming mass voter fraud. A reporter will say they spoke with a person whose dead mother voted three times. Or, the ever-popular story about homeless people in New York City being bussed to Vermont to swing that state for the Democrats. The same set of tales emerge in every election. Yet, to date, no one has ever produced proof any of it actually happens.
Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober about the presidential election. The mechanics of the election process is one of the coolest things about the United States. Because each state has its own quirky voter process, the election remains extremely difficult to manipulate. Thousands of volunteers from all kinds of political persuasions process and count those votes.
You might not like the election results. Yet, when the votes are tallied, we know the will of the people. Our votes are windows into our souls. The soul of our nation is divided. Yet, do not let that division discourage you. The only unified vote election in my lifetime was 1984 when Ronald Reagan took every state but Minnesota.
The election does not end the battle. We will continue to fight each other unless we choose sobriety. People who are drunk with anger hurt each other. Those who are sober seek to build trusting relationships through love. We need to hold leaders accountable, but let us never abandon hope of a better tomorrow. Then work together to make it happen.
Click to read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Reflection Questions:
How did you react to the 2016 presidential election results?
Where do you see other reacting now as you did then?
How much hope do you place on a president? Is it too much?
Where do you find true hope and what compels you to love your neighbor?