Every year I dread this time of year, even more so every four years. I’m not talking about the change of seasons; I love fall and look forward to it every year. My dread is saved for election season and the nastiness that accompanies it.

The time of year when my television, radio, and social media feeds are filled with hate and downright nastiness. As a mother of a toddler, I get very little downtime and even less television time. When I get a minute to watch television, I don’t want to see two people disparaging each other and dragging each other through the mud because they want to win an election. I want to be entertained. I want to find out who burned down Cheryl’s she shed.

I find myself in an interesting position this year. In the past, I have avoided election season and the entire voting process because I didn’t want to deal with it. I didn’t want to take part in the nastiness. My zone is a no drama, no conflict zone. Politics causes drama and conflict because everyone is so strong in their beliefs and no one is willing to budge or listen to the other side’s stance with an open mind.

I found out that in the last election, Christian Daily reports that only around 60% of Christians voted and did their civic duty. So apparently I was not alone avoiding anything to do with the election. For the first time in many years, I feel convicted of the importance of voting this year and educating myself on what is going on in our country. After months of seeing and hearing things I found extremely disturbing, I knew it was time for me to take a stand. If you had told me a year ago I would be voting and who I would be voting for, I would have told you that you were crazy.

So how do we get through the next week and deal with the craziness that we know will probably ensue? I decided to consult my survival manual and received some great advice from the Word of God on how I should act and how I should treat others.

Be kind and speak with love. Jesus repeats these words throughout the gospels. In Luke 10:27, Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no asterisk with this verse that says unless they are voting for someone you don’t approve of or if you disagree with their views. We are to treat everyone with respect and to speak words of love and encouragement. Galatians 5:15 gives us a stern warning: “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.“

This includes your Facebook posts. Don’t get into meaningless fights with others that won’t change a thing. This statement rings especially true for Christians fighting with non-believers. Just as you are strong in your stance, the person you are fighting with is strong in their stance. We cannot change the opinions of others. We are to draw people to the love of Jesus and not away from Him. Only the Holy Spirit can convict and change a person (John 16:8-11). Proverbs 18:21 tells us “words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” We are called to live as children of light in this dark world and to represent Christ (Ephesians 5:8).

God is in control so we don’t need to be anxious about the outcome. The book of Daniel gives us a lot of insight into how much control God has over who is put into positions of power. Daniel 2:21 tells us that “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.” Nobody is put in a position of power unless that person is a part of God’s plan. Even back in the Old Testament, we see God’s hand choose leaders to fit His overall plan for His people. King Nebuchadnezzar was not a godly man, but God chose him to bring about repentance and a change in the people of Israel.

And we don’t need to be worried or anxious about the outcome. I’m sure you have heard all kinds of rumors about what may or may not happen on election day or the weeks proceeding. Cities are already boarding up windows and calling in the National Guard in anticipation of next weeks again. Again, remember that God is in control. Everything will go according to the plan He has for our country. Philippians 4:6-7 reassures us: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“

Pray for our leaders. The ones you are voting for and the ones you aren’t voting for. I wish I could take full credit for this statement, but my pastor stepped on my toes Sunday when he asked our congregation if we had prayed for the person we were not voting for. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought someone was out of their mind or needed Jesus, but I never once stopped to pray for that person. And ultimately, that is what our job is as Christians. We aren’t going to change a person, but we sure can pray that God steps in or sends someone to help that person see the error of his or her ways.

Paul even reminds the early church how important it is to pray for our leaders. Paul wrote Timothy these words: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” (1Timothy 2:1-2, emphasis mine) This verse doesn’t tell us just to pray for the person we like. It tells us to pray for ALL who are in authority, this includes those we don’t like so much.

If your person doesn’t win, be respectful, and remember that God put them in position for a reason. This is probably going to be the most difficult point for some people to follow. This election is heated, just like the events of the last few months. There has been a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of blame placed on certain people, and a lot of hate that is thrown around on both sides of this ticket. It will be very easy to fall into despair or hate depending on what happens, but we are reminded not to conform to the patterns and customs of this world (Romans 12:2). No rioting, no “not my president”, and no fighting with those who may be gloating over the win.

We are called to submit to the authority that God has put into place. We are reminded of this in 1 Peter 2:13-15: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Even though Peter discusses submitting to authority, we do not submit to anything that goes against the teachings of the Word of God. We are just to acknowledge that this person is in a position of authority and we are to respect that appointment by God.

No matter what happens this election season, just know that all things work together according to God’s good plan. Do your own research, decide what values are most important to you, and vote accordingly. But I urge you to stay out of the hate speech and the name calling that seems to be a huge part of election season. You are called to be the light of the earth and not part of the darkness. Act accordingly.