I Didn’t Vote for Obama, but…

Jan 22

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I didn’t vote for Obama, but you won’t hear me bad mouthing him. You won’t find me asking my Facebook friends if they are “happy now?” I won’t delight in the downfall of our economy and eat salted peanuts with a Diet Coke while I heckle the Commander in Chief.

If the White House called me today and asked if I wanted to visit the president himself, I’d buy a new dress and book a flight. While Obama didn’t get my vote, he does get my respect.

Some of you are asking why? So, while I usually avoid political posts, here are my reasons.

1. You don’t talk smack about the Prez.
Call me old fashioned, but there are certain positions that hold honor. The office of the President of the United State is one of them. While Pres. Obama and I differ on many policies, he still holds a position of honor, and I will treat him with the respect he deserves.

2. It’s a rule.
In our house, we have a rule – we lift others up, not tear them down. My kids (and myself) are often guilty of throwing out words that bite. But we try to live by the Lift, Don’t Tear rule.

Sometimes we need reminders. This rule doesn’t just apply to the president. It applies to the lady on the PTA board that drives you crazy, to the older gentleman who stops you in the store to tell you your kids are misbehaving and to the person in the drive thru line that won’t pull up far enough (even though there is clearly room) for you to get close enough to the microphone to order.

3. You don’t talk out of two sides of your mouth.
Here’s the thing. I’m a Christ follower and proud of it. I share Bible verses on my Facebook status. I’m a Christian writer and speaker. How could I preach Jesus out of one side of my mouth and trash Obama out of the other?

Jesus said it like this:
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35 NIV.

This verse could be read as “In the same way I loved you, you love President Obama.” Is it easy to love people you don’t agree with? Not always. Not usually. But that is what makes us stand out. That is “how everyone will recognize that you are [Jesus] disciples – when they see the love you have for each other.”

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4. I’m truly praying for the President.
I actually believe in the importance of praying for the President – as evident in my position on the writing team for the Presidential Prayer Team. When you say, “Pray for the president; our country needs it more than ever…” and then bash that same president for which you’ve requested prayer, it sounds disingenuous. Just don’t do it.

Pray for the president’s success. Pray for his family. Pray for him to draw close to God. Pray for his wisdom. But don’t bad mouth him.

It’d be like me raising my hand in my Bible study group and asking for prayer for a neighbor who is an alcoholic. But continuing my request by saying, “I honestly think he gets what he deserves. I’ve warned him of the dangers of alcohol. His daddy was a drunk and he is just following in his footsteps.” Would you take my request for prayer seriously?

5. I’m following the advice of my Mama.
Your mama probably said it, too. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” It won’t kill me (or you) to keep my mouth shut. So when you say something or post something online, ask yourself first, “What is this actually accomplishing?”

Now that doesn’t mean I’ve been silenced from speaking my mind on Obama’s policies. If you ask me about my stance on abortion, I’m surely going to let you know how I feel about it. But that doesn’t give me an excuse to take pot shots at Mr. President.

Civilized people in a democracy can agree to disagree without slinging mud and wearing hate. Can’t they?

It all starts with you and me.

I didn’t vote for Obama, but he is the leader of the United States of America. And I’m an American. Doesn’t that still mean something?

And if, by chance, you are reading this President Obama, you didn’t win my vote, but I hope we can be friends.

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  • Peggy Jan 22 at 2:16 pm

    Praise God Carol! I love the Truths in this post! I love the principles on which you stand! I’m thankful that you are bold enough to write such heartfelt truths and words! I’m praying with you and for you as you carry such wonderful messages and prayers to us through your writings! What an honor to write for PPT and for me to know you (I receive their emails and yours and I’m honored to pray with you and be blessed by you and your words/prayers)! May God cover you as we pray for Him to bless America and our leaders! Thank you!

    • Carol Jan 22 at 2:44 pm

      Thank you my sweet friend. 🙂 It’s great to hear from you. I appreciate your kind words. Hope you are doing well.

  • Holly Michael Jan 22 at 3:07 pm

    I didn’t vote for him either, and this is the Christian attitude we should all have. Amen!

    • Carol Jan 22 at 3:33 pm

      Thanks, Holly. 🙂 God bless!

  • Fawn Weaver Jan 24 at 1:54 pm

    Amen! You can’t imagine how happy I am to see this post. I agree with every point and I always shake my head when I see others willing to tear down the very person charged with accepting all the responsibility we don’t want to have. No matter who is in office, he or she will have my respect because that is a job I would never ever want to have. And more importantly, they need our prayer.

    • Carol Jan 24 at 4:23 pm

      Aw, thanks Fawn. 🙂 Yes, I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one in charge either. It’s a tough job. Thanks for your comment.

  • Florrie Feb 15 at 12:48 pm

    Wow, what a great post! It made me really stop and think. I am not an Obama supporter, but I do agree that we, as Americans, should support our nation’s President with prayer and respect. The way you explained it made so much sense! Now, how do we get everyone to read your words on this?!

    • Carol Feb 19 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks, Florrie. We certainly do need to support our president. I certainly wouldn’t want his job. Whether we agree on everything (or anything) he is doing, he is here to stay for four years. So we need to pray God gives him the wisdom to make sound decisions for our country. 🙂

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