When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, I re-shared a simple ‘Rest In Peace’ post on Instagram and instantly received messages from fellow Christians asking how I could support someone who promoted policies that opposed “our” beliefs. It was that moment when I realized, that simply having empathy for a life lost- aligned me with a political party. I wondered- is this what it’s come to? Can we no longer express sorrow for the loss of a human being that may have had different views than our own?

I think about how many walks of life there are in our nation and the body of Christ. Our personal experiences shape our reality, and guess what? We don’t all share the same experiences. I’ve heard people say that no Christian would ever support Biden, but have also heard that no God-fearing person would ever support Trump. I have friends and family on both sides. We are not meant to agree on everything, but the one thing I hope we can agree on, is that it is not our place to judge anyone’s relationship with God based on who they voted for. Please keep in mind that Jesus’ own disciples ranged from fisherman to tax collector- with varying views of politics, I’m sure. I compel my fellow Christians to lead with compassion. We are called to be the salt of the earth, but some of us have become just plain, salty. Before we rush to make a broad statement about someone’s faith – maybe we should ask why we feel entitled to do so.

It is not lost on me that the biggest reason I shy away from sharing my thoughts and discussing politics, is the reaction I fear from fellow believers. How can we expect to be examples of love and unity in this world if we are stoking the fires of division and judgement within the church?

Regardless of who you voted for and the outcome- you should not want our leaders to fail. I pray that we love more than ever! Especially on those that look, think, believe, and pray differently than we do.