“5 Things to Do After the Election “
Have you ever heard of “post-achievement depression…That sense of purposelessness or sadness after completing a long-standing goal” (“Post-Achievement Depression: Overcoming the Slump,” Brown, 2024, Psychology Today)? It is a phenomenon with lasting implications for many people. Granted, most of you didn’t run for a political office this year. However, there was so much hype and anticipation that most of us felt heavily invested in the outcome. Your candidate(s) might have won or lost, but either way, you are coming down from the high, so to speak. So here are 5 things to do after the election.
The Number 1 Thing – Pray
Regarding the 5 things to do after the election, the first thing is always the first thing: pray. There has never been a leader who has not needed the immediate and ongoing prayers of people of faith. Paul, in Romans 13, Peter, in I Peter 2, and the writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 13 all tell us to pray for and submit to those in authority, whether they are civic leaders or those with spiritual authority. Those of us who live in the free world have grown accustomed to criticizing our authorities. Just because it’s not illegal doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. You say “freedom of the press, of speech.” But we have a higher liberty here in America: freedom of worship, of prayer. If we spend half as much time praying for those in authority as we do criticizing them, we would all reap the benefit.
The Second Thing – Stop Obsessing About Politics
Politics is the art of compromise. That means no one in government is ever completely right because every decision is a compromise. In addition, by staying glued to our favorite 24-hour news network, we become parrots of the polished version of the facts. It’s called spin because the compromised solutions are dressed up and twirled in front of our eyes, and most of the time, things are not as they appear. Turn off the news.
The Third Thing – Take Down Your Political Signs
I call them “Yard Wars.” I have a neighbor who’s had his political signs up for over a year. He has yard signs, window signs, and a big flag with an obscenity in front of the President’s name. A real class act. So, when you think about the 5 things to do after the election, take the political signs down and throw them away. They serve no purpose now. People use them to irritate their neighbors. That is not in the teachings of Jesus. Don’t knowingly irritate your neighbors; love them. Go over and talk about anything but politics.
#4 is Stop Hating/Worshiping the President
I’m 71 years old, and I have yet to meet someone who will vote for just anyone. No, we all have a favorite candidate and one we can’t stand. It’s the sorry truth, but it’s the truth. Most people itemize the reasons they can’t stand one candidate to more fully embrace the other. Here is a reminder: both hating and worshiping false gods are sinful. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV).
Finally, No. 5 – Fully Embrace the Kingdom of God
If you have accepted the fact that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten son, that he died for you and rose again, then you have entered into the Kingdom of God. Nobody steps through a door and just stands there. Instead, we walk in, and with the invitation of the host, we examine the rest of the house. The same is true of the Kingdom of God. Some have entered and hunkered down in the doorway. Get up and explore what it means to be in God’s Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!
Conclusion: Don’t Be a Pharisee
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13-14 NIV). The Pharisees were a group of religious leaders who separated themselves and taught a strict version of Hebrew law and way of life. Ultimately, they became rigid, unmoved by the grace of God and the teachings of Jesus. We run the risk of becoming like Pharisees. We decide what’s right and wrong and become so rigid in our ideology that we make no room for others who are different than us. Whoever you voted for this election day, please remember to love, to show mercy, to listen to others without arguing, and please make room for people who are different than you.
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