I’d like to make an observation, America: contrary to media hysteria, the sky is NOT falling.

In eight days we’ll find out whether we will have a peaceful transfer of power to a President Trump or to a President Clinton. Regardless of who wins, on November 9th the following laws and rules and truisms will still be in effect:

Jesus will still be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. No Presidential Decree, Executive Order, or Act of Congress can hold a candle to the power and might of the one who came to show us how to overcome through love.

The Constitution of the United States will still be upheld. Over 1.3 million active duty military and 800,000 reserve forces were in place in the United States  as recently as May 2016. Each of these military members takes the following oath to the Constitution:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

So if President Trump or President Clinton try to mandate a lifetime term of office or refuse to uphold and enforce the first or second or nineteenth or any amendment, they will fail. Period.

Haters need to stop hating. There are members of my family and friends who hate Hillary Clinton so much that they can’t even say her name without spitting (although most of them hated Barack Obama, too). There are also members of my family and friends who hate Donald Trump so much that they say they’ll move out of the country if he wins (as some of them said about George Bush and Barack Obama). Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are flawed humans. Neither one is perfect and both will need our prayers and our support. Leading a country filled with so much diversity will not be an easy task; we need to remember that the Bible teaches us that God himself guides the kings of this world, whoever they may be:

The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
    he guides it wherever he pleases. (Proverbs 21:1)

If you call yourself Christian and you absolutely loathe and hate the candidate on the other side, I ask you to pray about your heart and consider if it is where it needs to be. Jesus tells us we are to love our enemies and everyone who persecutes us. He didn’t say those words in a vacuum, either: he said it to a people whose homeland was being occupied by the Romans. If the Chinese attacked America and outlawed our form of government and closed all our churches, we would STILL be called to pray for them. If Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton staged a coup and overthrew the legislature and judicial system to set up a corrupt dictatorship, we would STILL be called to pray for them. It is not the world’s way. But Love is the Christian’s way, no matter what.

We have no idea of what systematic life-and-death religious persecution looks like in the United States. The Christians who were beheaded by ISIS? They faced persecution. The early Christians who were thrown into an arena with wild lions? I do not consider being unable to turn away wedding cake customers to be on the same level. In this country we do have the protection that no law can be passed that can either establish or infringe on religion, and the system in place has worked.  Laws are routinely challenged, upheld and struck down. Those Christians whose heads were chopped off had no constitutional protections. Either way, the Christian’s response is not to try to create a theocracy. Rather, we seek (in the Lord’s Prayer) God’s will and kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven…and God’s kingdom is NOT an earthly one. Sometimes we forget that.

Easy street isn’t easy. Nobody is going to instantly get improved healthcare coverage, a raise, a free car, or a small business loan on November 9th. Our immigrations laws and procedures will still need reform. We’ll still have serious issues to contend with in our foreign affairs. Our bridges and roads will still need fixing, the water in Flint will still be undrinkable and the rivers and waterways in Florida will still be fighting a battle with toxic algae. These serious issues need to be resolved. Lawmakers of all parties need to set aside party politics for the good of our country as a whole — and believe it or not, that begins with YOU, because they answer to you.

Your voice matters. Even after the election is over and the results are tallied, your voice is important. Inform yourself on the issues and make your opinions known to your elected representatives and senators. Don’t expect your leaders to tow the party line 100% all the time — wise people know when to compromise. If you will insist that your lawmakers work across the aisle, they will. They respond to public opinion. You hold their jobs in your voting hands.

Take a break from all this election stress and try to see these candidates for who they are: flawed people who will need us to pray for them. In fact, I’m pretty sure both candidates need prayer right about now. Will you join me? Try to see Donald Trump not as a bombastic reality TV star but as a grandpa who wants a better life for his grandchildren. Try to see Hillary Clinton not as a slick, corrupt snake but rather as a grandma who skypes her grandkids and draws strength from their love. So much of what we see in the media is political theater.

I love you, friends! Now go out there and do your thing, just the way God intended, without worrying about this election. Just love on people, let God take care of the details, and no matter what happens next week on election day, on November 9th, look up. You’ll see the sky is still right where it needs to be.