After a month of vibrant New England color, I woke to a monochromatic world. Black and white in the predawn light, the pristine blanket of snow softened the chill that brought it.
It’s beautiful.
It's clean.
It's cold.
It’s a stark reminder that today I will hold a ballot with two circles from which to choose. I do not love either possibility truly.
And yet, imperfectly, the choices starkly oppose each other.
Day verses night.
Darkness verses light.
Even wrong verses right.
One stands on the premise that men are inherently broken and should only trust a controlled, fallible government to create laws which stick to inhibiting our baser instincts. They have only God-given common rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit (but not guarantee) of happiness. Within this framework, federal government is limited to protecting those rights, and is not welcome to infringe on decisions that only effect the individual.
The other holds the belief that men are innately good and thus a large, trustworthy government should have uncontested reign to decide for all men what healthcare they deem worthy, what life they have the right to (or don’t), what gender they can claim despite biology or age, what to put on or in our bodies, and justice based on majority rule rather than on an established standard.
I guess it comes down to your worldview.
Should we trust politicians to make our decisions based on their inner goodness?
Or should we expect them to govern based on a higher benchmark than their own ideals?
Is goodness integral?
Our votes come down to how we view light.
When tomorrow dawns, will there be riots? Will there be civil war? Will there be happiness and love?
Will men obey their instincts to seek unity - or seek dissolution?
I know a Man who has been spit on, slapped, belittled, misunderstood, hated by the media and the local government, and crucified for His words. And no, I don't mean any President. This Man didn't respond with vitriol or even nasty Twitter posts. He didn't sling mud or call down fire. He didn't even hate his condemners. Why? I would. Why didn't He?
Because in Him alone is light.
Not in politicians, not in humanity, not in me.
He alone is inherently good.
Innately light.
He alone is the standard.
No matter which box you check, Jesus IS the only good. The others are, at best, grey shadows.
I'll try to choose the lighter grey for my government, but ultimately, all the choices will reveal their own inner darkness over the next days and weeks. Not one of those polished talking heads will glow from anything other camera flashes.
But I know the One who does.
I'm glad He has to final say about my soul.
Today, I'm thankful for light.