What would Jesus Do?

In this Presidential Campaign year so filled with vitriolic rhetoric, charges and counter charges by candidates, voters can get so lost and confused. Issues get twisted and turned around for political advantage and it is hard to know where the candidates stand. It is hard to know where we should stand sometimes. Our moral compass seems to get twisted sometimes when all this political “stuff” is in the air. Religious freedom and constitutional rights and morality get all jumbled up together in the hands of skilled (and not so skilled) politicians seeking to win votes.

In the midst of all this rancor, hate talk, negativity, confusion and fear, I’ve been looking for some sort of anchor, a way to keep my feet grounded and weather the storms of controversy. I began to think what would Jesus do? (It could have been what would Buddha do or Mohammad do, I suppose, but I feel comfortable with Jesus.) Yes, indeed, what WOULD Jesus do?  What would Jesus make of this current climate in the race for President of the United States?

I think Jesus might laugh, but it would be a laughter tinged with a deep sadness for what we are doing and saying to one another. I think Jesus might just tell everyone to take a deep breath and relax. He might just tell everyone to look deep into their own being and tell the truth and stop saying things to just get elected or what they think this group or that group wants to hear.

Jesus might just tell us to treat others the way we would want to be treated ourselves, regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. He might remind us that we are all fingers on the same hand and that we need to come together and work together to get things done. Jesus might remind us that we have a lot to do.

Jesus might tell us to pay our debts and “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” but then remind us that we will always have the poor, the sick and the hungry among us and that whatever we do or say to the least of these…you do so to Him.

Jesus might remind us all that we are not perfect. We make mistakes. We hurt people with our thoughts, words and deeds. We hurt ourselves with our choices. We hurt our environment with our actions and neglect. He might just tell us that the greatest sin is in not learning and growing from our past mistakes. He might just say that forgiveness is something we do to heal ourselves.

Jesus might just gather all of us up together in a big group hug…and tell us just how much He LOVES each and every one of us and how He is rooting for us. Go TEAM!    Amen.

Food for THOUGHT…