Elections are supposed to be about hope; for many people this one seems to be about depression. It's not that people worry about the consequences if their candidate doesn't win; that's pretty normal, though usually unnecessary. This time too many people are worried about the consequences if their candidate DOES win. Whatever happened to Obama's audacity of hope?
Valerie and I both retain citizenship in the countries of our birth; Canada for her, and the United Kingdom for me. We have adopted this country, a land that we love, and it has adopted us; we're glad to be here. But having dual citizenship helps us to understand that we are sojourning citizens, here only for a while.
Last Sunday we were in Canada and attended what used to be Valerie's church for the first week of a month-long emphasis on missions. On one wall was the largest Kenyan flag I have ever seen, a reminder of the two decades that Valerie sojourned there. She remains attached to Kenya, and it will continue to claim a hold on her heart. But her roots lie elsewhere; she was a sojourner in Kenya.
And we are sojourners here, as well. For as long as God gives us, we will seek the good of the land where we are, but we will do so with an awareness that our roots are elsewhere. In spite of that oath of citizenship, our first allegiance is to God's kingdom, and it is in seeking that kingdom that we have hope.
Though it may surprise this election's winner, only God is sovereign, and it is likely that the United States will survive its next president. Whoever holds that office is less important than he or she - or we - believe. So with due respect to this year's candidates, this election day I'm not concerned about making America great again; my priority is to seek God's kingdom. And I'm not with her; I'm with Him, the One who is my King. It's a whole lot harder to be depressed when you're a sojourning citizen.
1 comment:
Congrats Valerie! Welcome to the US, such as it is!! cj
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