Tip of My Iceberg

Our country has a president.

Some will be delighted; others, not so much. The beauty of having the opportunity to participate in the democratic process is that we get a chance to voice our opinions over who should be the one person who will sit as our leader in the Oval Office.

For all the things that have been said over weeks and months of ads and campaigning, this job is not easy. There are those who long for the position, but it comes with a cost. Being President of the United States is a huge responsibility that will require fortitude, wisdom, compassion, and confidence to work with people who don’t agree with him.

Our Commander in Chief has a huge challenge for a leader, to work to draw together the troops and cast a vision for a unified and gracious country. 

It won’t be easy.

President Biden faces a country rocked by anger and divisiveness. There are those who have been vocal; there are many who have chosen to stay silent and are simmering. But whichever we are, we are called upon to be respectful of our leadership and the role he now has to bring the many parts of this country into a unified whole that proclaims the hope of our democracy.

He can’t do it alone.

God admonishes us to honor those who are in authority for they’ve been granted an enormous responsibility. Not just for themselves, but for those they’ve been entrusted to lead. Our president now embraces the needs, protection, and provision of the people of this nation.

Not a job for one person.

In a nation still hugely divided, we find ourselves at an impasse. We need to pull together as a nation and stop allowing our differences to separate us. We need to focus on how we become stronger together. If we don’t, we only hurt ourselves.

Jesus very clearly stated, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:24-25. He showed us that dissension and unrest from within are much harder to deal with than an enemy outside our own borders. We have the chance to change the trajectory of our nation. Will we do that?

The truth is this president–as every other president has in the past–will disappoint people. He will fall short of expectations because he cannot do the job perfectly. He is a person who is as imperfect as the rest of us.

We need the power and presence of God to help us move forward in an unselfish and caring fashion. Where we can genuinely and generously open our arms to all who are not like us and have the conversations that will allow us to grow together.

Apart from God, we will continue to focus on what makes us comfortable and turn our backs on what we disagree with. 

Our new president and vice president need all the help we can give them to operate with a sense of right relationships and a perspective on justice that allows decent relationships to thrive. 

This isn’t easy; it’s heart work, not about policies; the hardest kind of work there is.

That’s what will make America a great nation.