Freedom…and Responsibility…to Choose

Are you voting in this the 2016 presidential election, or are you already so fed up with politics and the two presidential candidates that you have decided not to bother voting at all? As the Republican National Convention kicks off today in Cleveland, I personally know several people who have already given up on the election in frustration because their candidates aren’t in the running, or they don’t like either of the two who are, or they somehow think it’s a ‘done deal’ – and are not bothering to watch any more media coverage or take any more interest. And I’m reminded of the quote by British philosopher (and supporter of the American Revolution) Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I am also reminded of Jesus’ parable of the bags of gold about the “good and faithful servant,” who took action with the money entrusted to him by investing it and was rewarded, versus the “wicked, lazy servant” who hid the money in the ground and was punished. (Matt 25:14-28). Yes, the political coverage has been so intense for so long that it is easy to feel overwhelmed, jaded, sometimes numb to it. But I challenge you to not hide your head in the sand, but to continue to pray for God to guide your heart in this election, to pray for His Will for America, and to invest, to act, to choose, to use your freedom to be responsible and pay attention to the issues and then to vote. My book The Peace Maker is being republished in September; it is a contemporary political suspense novel based on the story of David and Abigail in the First Book of Samuel about a modern-day US Presidential election much like the one we’re facing today with issues of right to life, stem-cell research, peace in the Middle East and more. The issues, it seems, never go away…we just need to keep fighting for what’s right in God’s eyes and to remember that we are good men and women who need to do something, even if it’s simply to make our voices heard.