Bless the Ballot Week 9: Blessing the ballot with messages of hope
Alright Forefront, The time is here. After hours of our justice league members phone banking, learning, campaigning, volunteering, and tirelessly making our voice heard, it is the night before the election and it is time to sit back. Our team has come out to bless the ballot in so many ways. The amount of poll workers that signed up in Forefront alone is outstanding! Now we’ve heard all of the speeches, we have read all of the articles, we have poured over election predictions, and we have prayed countless prayers.
Those of us that have grown up in the Christian community have heard the phrase, it is all in God’s hands more times than we can count. Anytime there is a moment of uncertainty, we say have no fear, it’s in God’s hands. When you are feeling hopeless, that phrase can sound like the equivalent of putting a bandaid over a wound that needs stitches. But this year, despite all of the press and stress happening around us, I do have hope for the future. Our community and our Justice League has shown up in ways that have given me so much hope. Our team truly does live out the work of God in fighting for Justice.
The reality is, even after the decision is announced, we still have work to do. We will still be fighting for Justice. We will still be passing the Mic to the Voiceless. We will still be going to Bat for the Marginalized, and working within our communities to bring change. In this fight, I know that we don’t have to work alone. We are all working together as a collective Body of Christ. So this year, when we say it is in God’s hands, I truly do mean it, and I know that we will continue to live as the Body of Christ and do the hard work of God throughout our community.
Thank you for all of your support Forefront! We will be here on the other side of this.
The Justice League
Quotes of Hope from Our Community:
During the first Women's March, right after the 2016 election, I carried a sign with Galatians 6:9: "Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up." I have also borrowed a mantra from Brené Brown: "I want to get it right, not be right." The differentiation has been essential in deconstructing my own privilege and learning how to advocate for others.
Addie Stuber
I typed, deleted, and re-typed this so many times. I don't know if I have encouragement, per se, but I do have this: let go and let God. If you haven't heard that phrase before, you're welcome. I didn't coin it, but I sure do like it! That's where I am right now, and where I'll surely be until inauguration day. The fight is never over, but ultimately it helps to remember that it's in God's hands.
Adelle McElveen
Angela singing “Look Up Child” has been giving me hope throughout this past year. The song reminds me that even through these rough times we still have our community and things will be getting better.
Courtney Sutter
This week carries so much worry and fear for all of us. This prayer from Nadia Bolz-Weber has reminded me this week of our common humanity and God’s presence on this earth with us. Praying that this election results in systems that are a little more just and compassionate.
“God, right now we beg you to bring more than just a small measure of heaven to earth because, if you haven’t noticed, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and millions are sick and dying, not to mention, the Earth is on fire. It’s a mess down here Lord, so we need your Kingdom to speed the hell up. We need wise leaders, and just systems and an extra dose of compassion for all of us... You are our Parent whose name is holy and whose love is boundless and who wants, as our holy Parent, to hear our prayers.”
Zoe Bayer
In a time of such uncertainty and darkness, I have found it extra challenging to lead with love and compassion. The support from our incredible Forefront community, and seeing so many people uniting in action, has been a display of God’s light and Love for me. It reminds me of a passage from Richard Rohr’s, “What Do We Do With Evil” where he explains that:
“God has created a world where there is no technique or magical method for purity or perfection. Forgiving love is the only way out and the only final answer is God’s infinite Love and our ability to endlessly draw upon it.”
I’m grateful for my Forefront family reminding me of that infinite Love in times when I was struggling to see it.
Jennifer Krist
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