Embrace the Challenge!

In just a few days Ohio will be casting their ballot for, among other things, their choice for a potential President who will guide our nation for the next four years. Needless to say, preparing for this particular election has been a bit different than usual! More candidates to weed through, more diverse personalities and the climate in our country have created some unique perspectives.

Whether you live in Ohio or not, when placing your vote you are not only deciding who will sit in the White House or Congress, you are deciding what kind of America you want in the years to come. Do you want government more involved in individual choices or less involved? Do you want open borders or more accountability for immigrants? What about taxes…should there be more to help with government programs or more left in your paycheck? How do you want your tax dollars spent? What about military, education, environment and international trade? Why do you feel your opinion is correct? Sometimes we have to make choices that will be better for the country as a whole rather than what will make us more comfortable for the moment.

It can be so easy to choose or oppose a candidate based on their personality or the good/bad press. When making such an important decision we need to do our homework and not rely on what our friends, family or coworkers think. It can be difficult to wade through the rhetoric and we most likely won’t find a candidate that agrees with us on everything but maybe we can come close. There are internet sites that will allow you to do a side-by-side comparison of all the top candidates and even allow you to answer questions then see who your closest match is. When you take hype out of the equation, it might be interesting to see who leans the same way you do. Embrace the challenge of finding out!

I encourage you to spend time truly thinking about why you are casting a vote and who it is you are giving it to. Every time someone is elected we give them the right to speak for us; make sure you like what is being said.
As with a lot of things we are used to, the act of voting may not seem overly important….until we are no longer allowed to do it. Research, pray, vote and trust God to watch over America so we as a nation can be a shining light of hope.

Pray for rulers and for all who have authority
so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives
full of worship and respect for God.
1 Timothy 2:2