I don’t vote as myself – I vote as a Christian.

I was asked why I voted the way I did this fall. For me it is simple. It basically goes back to WWJD – What Would Jesus Do.

I like the personality of some candidates over others. I have different issues that are more personally important to me and I have to fight my natural urge to focus exclusively on those issues. In the end, I never feel the decision is mine to make on my own. I pray. I study the candidates, and as a student of the Bible, I study which candidate best aligns with Christ.

Sometimes this leads me to voting for a candidate that has a personality I don’t like. Every candidate I voted for is someone in whom I identified multiple things about their beliefs, voting records, or things they’ve done and said that don’t align well with Christ (there is no candidate without sin). There were a couple of races that required a more in-depth look and more prayer, but for the most part, this fall had very clear choices. I ended up voting entirely for one party for the first time.

For my fellow Christians, I encourage you to take a similar approach.  Study the candidates and issues. Study how they align with Christ. Pray over each vote and pray for all candidates (even those you oppose).  Vote, and then again pray over your vote and the election and know that whatever happens, we know how this all works out in the end and our place in Heaven is secure.