Image by beate bachmann from Pixabay

After the Presidential debate this week, Ivan, Oliver (my cat) and I sat outside on the porch, under the stars. I listened to the crickets, breathed in the fresh air, and listened,  for comfort, strength, wisdom, vision. I found it there,  reminded of, and finding comfort in the One Who made the world. 

And I thought about the sharp contrasting visions of our time, and what to do with our one wild and precious life.  

As we grieve the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I gain strength from her enduring dedication to the vision that all people are created equal; her advocacy for gender equality; and her respect, honor and dignity for all people, especially with those with whom she disagreed.

At the same time, once again last night we heard our nation’s president say  that he will not commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he was not elected. Journalist Thomas Friedman reflected in an interview, “I think what happened in the last few days is a six-alarm fire. The President of the United States has told us ‘Either I win the election, or I de-legitimize the election.’ Those are your choices.” Readying a strategy that forces the decision to the Supreme Court, he is pushing through a nominee who will know going in that her job will be to rule in favor of the President staying in office.

It has left me thinking, “How did we get here?”

These are the times when I am grateful to be a person of faith. I gain strength from the wisdom of all of the world’s religions, especially Judeo-Christianity, and especially Jesus. 

Most of scripture was written to people being ruled by oppressive governments and corrupt leaders.

• Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The journey taught them about trusting that God was with them, and they were more resilient than they knew. 

• In Jesus’s, the Roman Empire used violence to keep people in line. The people learned to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” It led to the fall of the Roman Empire.

We are stronger than we know. We care for one another and are offended in the face of cruelty. Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility. We are made of resilience, bravery, and courage, in every act of love.

Today, we face into a moment that requires every bit of our best. We have been here before. We are stronger together than divided. We are all God’s children. 

Let us vote, with our words and especially in our actions with faith, voting for the poor, for the vulnerable, for children, for people of color, for our planet, for life itself.

We are in this together.