Keep Calm and Carry On

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. – 1 Timothy 2:1-3

It’s a big week. There is more energy around this election than any that I can remember. Lots is at stake. Emotions are running high. You might be feeling a wee bit stressed, so let me suggest five important things to do this week.

1. Pray. Paul told Timothy that prayer is job one, especially prayer for those who govern us. Public leadership is a tough job. Perhaps tougher than it’s ever been. Pray for wisdom and courage for our elected officials.
2. Love. We don’t need to agree with one another, but we do need to love another. Love is the prime directive of our faith, and it’s never been needed more in this world.
3. Trust. Trust that no matter who sits in the White House, God is still at work in ways we cannot yet discern, like a seed growing in the earth.
4. Vote. Millions of people around the world wish they had the privilege of participating in the process of choosing those who would govern them. If you haven’t yet voted, do it. Your voice matters.
5. Live. No matter what happens on Tuesday, get up on Wednesday morning and live your life. Do it with joy and boldness, vim and vigor and (as my colleague Paul Gauche loves to say) a little hoopla and hilarity. God’s got stuff for you to do. So do it.

Keep calm and carry on.

Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN.