Ah, politics, a subject that not a lot of people necessarily enjoy talking about and when we do talk about it, we don't usually talk too positively about it. Why is that? Why is it that when people begin to talk about politics and the things involving our government we don't have a lot of good to say? Is it because there has been some controversial legislation that's been created in the past few years? Or could it be the U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have been questionable in terms of their reasoning?

Maybe it has to do with presidential actions that have taken place, and when we look forward to this upcoming election we cringe. I know that these three branches of government, the legislative, executive, and judicial, have all handled the recent argumentative issues with unpopular decision making, unwise guidance,partisan politics and personal feelings to support their reasoning. There is such a wide spectrum of things that could be covered when talking, but obviously, we aren't going to go over it all.

As a follower of Christ, there is a lot to think about when it comes to politics. There are a lot of things that are happening in our country and it's all happening at a rapid pace and it’s a lot to take in. The media definitely doesn’t help either, especially when news sources put their own spin on a story or only provide short sound-bytes that don't properly sum up the message of what's being said. Some Christians have been caught by the trap of media where they protest a certain issue or policy and the media will only show how Christians hate _____(fill in the blank). I get it that the few people who promote Christianity with hateful words or actions don’t represent every follower of Christ, but it's something we have to overcome. If we truly have a relationship with Jesus and we're striving to be like Him then we can't respond with hatred. I don’t care how much we don’t like it or how "wrong," we say it is, hate is not the answer. I love what it says in 1 Peter chapter 2, verses 13 through 17.

"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." (1 Peter 2:13-17; ESV)

I'm sure a lot of people who read this aren't going to agree with this. You're probably thinking, "but Jordan, have you seen the leaders of our government today? You really want us to listen to them? You think God would put people like this as our leaders?" Well, yes, yes He did and He did it for a specific purpose. We don’t know God's reasonings, but instead of focusing all of our time on going against the government we just stop. Stop the hate. I understand that our country isn't in the best condition and it seems to only be getting worse, but we must continue to trust God. Through all of the laws, court decisions and presidential decisions, God has a plan. Is it the way we would do it? Of course not, but we aren't the creator of the universe.

So as I wrap this up, what can you do as a follower of Christ?

1. Educate yourself on what's going on in the world.This doesn't mean just watching a short news segment on the issue, it means taking the time to look at it in complete detail and trying to find a way to understand it.

1. Speak with love, not hate. When you talk about an issue don’t just bash the issue and talk about how stupid it is. Don’t just talk to talk, and definitely, don’t talk if you don't know about the issue, that's what makes you a fool, and that's not good.

1. Trust God. God has a purpose behind what He's doing, so stop doubting Him. It's easy to question what God's doing, especially when we look at what's going on in the country, but we can't fall into the trap. Trust God in everything He does.

1. Finally, pray for our country. We need to pray for the leaders of our country and our government. We need to pray for God to give them wisdom in all their decisions. Also, we must pray for our own understanding of what’s going on in the world.