Vote Without Fear

I learned that anger is a secondary emotion (thanks to training for pastoral counseling, and parent and marriage communication). Anger is preceded and triggered by another emotion, which must be addressed in order to deal with the anger. As I have observed the extraordinary anger in this election cycle, I have pondered what emotions might be triggering it and have concluded that very often it is fear (from both left and right).

In my pastoral career I have often passed on as a life axiom that when we make decisions based on fear, we almost always make the wrong choice. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear,” which suggests to me that the opposite of fear is not courage but love. A mother does not run into traffic to snatch her child from in front of a speeding car because she is brave but because she loves the child. So to keep from making a bad decision based on fear, I have long suggested to people they consider how to decide based on love.

Through this election season, I have purposely refrained from indicating for whom I am voting or recommending any candidate. Rather, I have tried to wrestle with how what I have gained from Scripture over the years informs the way I do my thinking and pass that on with a hope it will help others think more biblically and deeply. So I’m still not going to endorse a candidate, but I will suggest that when you sense fear in the choices you must make, consider how love can supplant fear as you decide how you will vote.