Scott Sanderson, Transylvania Presbytery
Finally, it has come down to this. Just a few days left and then, after all the vitriol and rancor a new president will be chosen. Many will not be happy. It does not matter who will win; a large group will be distressed. So, what if the other one wins, what can we do?
There are two things that are needed at this time. First is prayer—for the nation, and for us. The world is dangerous, and the president, whoever that is—a continuation of the old, or a chance for the new– will be thrust into an unpredictable and chaotic world. Divine guidance is needed. This prayer also can assuage our fears and anxieties. Like a soothing balm it will comfort our despair or temper our celebration by helping us to realize that everything will be fine, and that ultimately we are not in control.
Prayer can also help us remember that people can change. This is our hope. Case in point, in 1881 Chester Arthur became president when President Garfield was assassinated after only a month. Arthur was not liked; no one wanted him to be president. He had become vice president only to placate a certain wing of the Republican Party. Politically he was an opponent of Garfield, and was a product of the Spoils System, where his main job was as a political hack working at the customs house. Most people felt that because he came from a corrupt system of you-scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours, that he would continue in that way. But, Arthur did not. Against the direction of the party bosses, he ended that system by passing into law strong civil service reforms. He went against type, for the good of the nation. So, it is possible that whoever wins will be different than the person who was nominated; that they may actually work to improve America.
The second needed thing is acceptance. As the Rolling Stones sang, “you can’t always get what you want”. That is life. “But” they continue, “If you try real hard, you may get what you need”. They are not talking about capitulation, but rather about acceptance. In reality there is little that we can change, so adapt is what we must do.
There is something comforting in that, for regardless of what happens, we can get out of it what we need. We seek the good as we adjust and move on. There are more important things in life than politics: family, jobs and faith.
Because we have faith, we will survive, whoever wins.