What Now?

Well, we survived it: The craziest election in American history. When I woke up this morning my house, my husband and my baby were still mine, my driver's  license was still valid and the nation hadn't yet spontaneously combusted. I'd call that a good beginning to any Wednesday, much less the one after a very hotly contested and extremely controversial election.

Congratulations Mr. Trump; you did what no one I talked to believed you would. Now we hope that you will use your office to improve and bless the nation rather than to use it for your own gain.

But really, what power do we have over that? What Trump decides to do in office has nothing to do with what we decide to do while he his in office. The reason we have three branches of government is to ensure that the President can't push the "self-destruct" button on the nation during his four-year tenure. So what really makes the difference?

We do.

It's true that the President of the United States has power to veto laws, write executive orders and be the face of our nation to the world. But who really decides what kind of land we are living in?

We do.

The hate, mud-slinging, dirt-digging, blowing everything out of proportion, and constant fighting has been going on long enough. This election has left everyone frustrated, sad, and covered  in muck. The time has now come to stand up, clean ourselves off, and to make our nation exactly what we wanted to make it when we cast our ballot. The truth is, though, that every day we make much more of a difference than we did on election day.

People voted for Evan McMullen to support religious freedom. We can support religious freedom every day by helping Muslim refugees, being kind to Mormon or Jehovah's Witness missionaries we meet on the street, and living our religious beliefs in such a way that we bless those around us.

People voted for Hillary Clinton to support the rights of the LGBT community. We can support the LGBT community every day by being kind to everyone before we know anything about their sexual orientation, by using kind words and avoiding slurs, and by remembering that everyone is a child of God.

People voted for Donald Trump to feel that they have a voice in government again. We can express our voice every day by obeying the law and supporting law enforcement, by keeping up to date on the issues in the nation and the world, and by finding ways to be active in the community, such as by volunteering at a shelter or sending out hygiene kits to countries in need.

Neither candidate was ideal. I talked with so many people who just couldn't decide who to vote for, because no matter who took the White House there would be problems, internal moral battles for the voters, and the external battles for everything else. We all voted for someone that either we or our friends think is evil. That does not make us or our friends evil. The only time there is one right answer in an election is when it is Jesus here to reign on earth, and that isn't happening for a while. We can feel so strongly that our candidate is the only right choice, but the truth is that the other side can feel the same way, too. There are pros and cons to every choice, and so we must not feel that those who did not vote our same way are stupid, hateful, or as evil as the person they voted for. They had their reasons, as did you. They may not have liked it, but they weighed their options and did what they felt was best, exercising their right to have some sort of say, no matter how small.

Differences in opinion are essential to having a productive community. The ideal situation is the two opposing ideas come together and meet in the middle, reaching a consensus that best benefits the most people. That doesn't happen as often as we might hope, but it shows that opposing views make change possible.

Now, I would like to take a moment to talk about my son. He will only be four years old when Donald Trump's term ends, so this election will not mean much to him. But as I think about what my son can learn from Trump, I did come up with some answers.

My son will not be looking to Trump as an example for how to treat women. He will be looking at his father and grandfathers. I can have a man who has said awful things (most of which I won't even read because I know how disturbing they will be) in the White House and have my son grow up to be a gentleman who opens doors for his sisters and proffers his arm to the girls at EFY. I can have a man who seems to have no filter when he speaks in the White House and still have my son learn to say kind words, to think before he speaks, and to be respectful to everyone.

Instead, my son will learn about the democratic process from Trump. He will learn how the electoral college works, explaining how Trump got voted in in the first place. He will learn why the Founding Fathers set up our country as they did, rotating our president out every four years and allowing the people to have a say in who gets in next. He will learn how the executive branch is only one branch of government, and how the legislative and judicial work together with the president to create the most balanced government we can. It's not much, but that is what my son can learn. from President Donald Trump.

As we continue on with our daily lives, seemingly unaffected by the election that took up so much of our time and effort and thoughts this week, we need to remember that there is only one president and there are 320 million of us. If anyone is really going to make a difference, it's not the president. It's each of the 320 million who strives to share goodness, to give hope and service, to be kind and caring regardless of any differences in opinion, and who stands for what they believe so that all of us with opposing ideas can stand together as cooperating and kind Americans.

God loves everyone. God loves Hillary Clinton; God loves Donald Trump. God loves and blesses this nation, and if we do our best to make it a good place full of the love of God, it doesn't matter who is in the White House. No single person can tear down this nation if we are working our best to make it better every day.