I have been following this presidential race closely because it's the first time I will be old enough to vote. Although I am very excited to finally be able to exercise my right to vote, I have also been experiencing a little bit of a dilemma in who to vote for as a young Christian. Quite frankly, I am not a fan of Trump or Clinton. I think both candidates are very flawed and do not fit what this country really needs. From a Christian perspective, both candidates fall extremely short of what Jesus stands for. With that said, I do recognize that at this point, we are pretty much stuck with them. Now, I'm not writing this article to tell you who to vote for or to condemn you for supporting a specific candidate. I am going to tell you that as Christians, there are some things that we need to work on and there is a certain way that we should be conducting ourselves during this election.

First off, if you claim to be a Christian and then 10 minutes later you're bashing someone on social media or making someone feel like less of a person because of who they have decided to vote for, then I hate to break it to you, but you're doing it wrong. Everyone has a right to his or her own opinions, just like you have a right to yours. Getting offended that someone doesn't share your perspective is absolutely ridiculous and, if that's you, then you need to check yourself. With that said, a person's worth and value is not defined by which political party they are affiliated with. Your worth is found in the perfect love that is Jesus Christ, it's as simple as that. So, it's time we stop attacking each other and start loving each other the way we are called to.

Second, this might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, but Jesus is not a conservative or a democrat. Let me say that again for the people in the back: Jesus does not have a political affiliation. It seems to me that we Christians have forgotten who exactly our Lord and Savior is. He's not walking around wearing American flag chubbies, a "Make America Great Again" hat and carrying around a shotgun. He's also not driving around with a "Clinton" or "Kaine" bumper sticker screaming "I'm With Her." He is God and He became man, one who is from the Middle East by the way, in order to love the prostitutes, the lepers and the tax collectors. He fights for the minority and the marginalized, He encourages peace and justice and He is Love. He died and rose again in order to save all of us, not just some of us, all of us. So please, don't make the mistake of reducing the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to a right-wing or left-wing politician.

Finally, in the midst of such a crazy election, it's important to remember that God does have a plan. There is so much freedom in realizing that the weight of this nation is not on your shoulders. Despite how messed up and scary it may seem at times, He transcends it all because He is good. So, when you are deciding who to vote for, and I do highly encourage you to get out and vote, think hard, be informed and pray about which candidate best represents what Jesus is all about and who God is calling you to vote for, and then do so humbly. Lastly, have faith that whatever the outcome, God's got it.