For the nation I loved and lost.
Elections, eternity, and apathy, oh my.
I just got home from having my blood drawn for the 2nd… no… 3rd time this year. My right arm is sore. My house is quiet but for the sounds of the dog chewing his antler on the sofa. My view outside is beautiful: autumn leaves framed by the Georgian bars of our windows. And I feel calm and safe and peaceful – while the nation I loved and lost rages across the sea.
This is the first year that I watch as my home nation tears itself apart, and I sit quietly on the sidelines. I paid the U.S. government $2,350 for the privilege of being silenced. I am no longer an American Citizen. I have surrendered my right to vote. But I have not surrendered my right to care about the Church – the church in America, the church here in Britain, and the global Church that makes up the nation to which I truly belong: a Kingdom whose banner is Love.
I see no point in adding to the throng of voices speaking out on this Election Day regarding democracy and dignity and safety. You’ve heard all of this a million times already. All I will say is this: eternity is real, and it’s an invitation to embody the truth of our commission…
His Kingdom Come, His Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
We can take the truth of eternity – the truth that no matter the outcome of today, God is on the throne, and there REALLY WILL be an end to all suffering one day – and you can allow it to do two things to you: fill you with hope, or fill you with apathy.
Apathy will draw you into indifference in your church, in your community, in your country. It will lead you to think that your finite existence doesn’t matter. That your choice to understand God’s Word and live it out boldly in your tiny corner of the world is somehow insignificant. It will lead you to live a lie.
Hope will draw you UP. It will anchor you in a future world that is SO VERY REAL as you live in this current chapter of an ALREADY real eternity. C.S. Lewis reminds us of this so beautifully in The Screwtape Letters: eternity reaches out and touches us in the here and now. We must not roll over in apathy, waiting for a better world to come. As image-bearers, we are called to bring the light of Heaven DOWN to Earth NOW.
So my contribution to the nation I loved and lost is this: take heart. Keep your hope. Remember that eternity is REAL, and it starts NOW, and YOU are a part of it. Your vote today is not the only one that counts: you cast a vote, every day, for who you want to be – who you want to embody.
My prayer for the Church is that we would remember that we ultimately belong to a better Kingdom but that we not use this knowledge as an excuse to relinquish our current role now: ambassadors of eternity. Whatever the outcome of the election, whatever the outcome in your communities, dear friend, take heart. Fight for unity as brothers and sister in Christ. Put your personal opinions aside, when the time comes, to seek God’s will for your neighbour in every circumstance. Not just in word but in deed. And remember that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
As a gift to the body of Christ, I worked overtime last week to release a 4-part series in conversation with Dominick Baruffi, author of Screwtape Endorses a Candidate right here on Substack. This is my first time back behind the mic for Magic Like This in 6 months, and in Part 1, I explain why that is and what the plans are for this book club moving forward.
My goal with the entire conversation was to encourage, challenge, and edify the Church, and Dominick matches my energy in this interview brilliantly. I’m so grateful for his time. And I hope that if you don’t know where to turn today, you might find that turning to this little corner of the internet reignites you with both courage and peace. Here are all 4 episodes in a wee directory for you here:
Bless you, friends.
All my love,
