I don’t remember an election where I questioned whether or not to vote. This year I’ve wondered. If you are a Christian who has thought about not voting or throwing your vote to someone besides the two central candidates, I understand. But let me tell you why I’ll be voting this November.
Photo by: freeimages9.com
In the song, “Thank You For Giving to the Lord,” Ray Boltz imagines our arrival into heaven where people we impacted on earth line up to thank us for the unnoticed things we’d done here that impacted them for eternity. [1]
After the presidential debate last Wednesday night it couldn’t be clearer where the two candidates stand on an issue that is dear to my heart and God’s. Life.
One candidate promised to appoint prolife justices to the Supreme Court. I don’t need to remind you that these justices serve for life, not four or six years. The other candidate promised to support a woman’s right to abort her baby for any reason up to his or her birth. She also promised to funnel our taxpayer dollars to pay for them.
She called late-term abortions “heart wrenching decisions.” Many couples wait years to adopt. No, it’s not a heart wrenching decision; it’s a child.
What About a Child With Disabilities?
Several of my daughter’s friends were told their child would be born with disabilities. Thankfully, all were healthy. But even if a child has problems, do we have the right to kill him because he isn’t perfect? Read what God told Noah about human life:
“If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image” (Gen. 9:6 NLT).
God has a purpose for people with disabilities, whether they are born with them or develop them later—people like Wilma Rudolph, the polio survivor who became an Olympic gold medalist. “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11 ESV).
Educating the Conscience
We may not approve of either candidate’s behavior. But we have a choice on which critical issues we’ll support. I can’t read the following and not think of the unborn child and the vulnerable young women pressured to erase a mistake.
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Pro. 24:11-12 ESV).
I’ve counseled many women who’ve had abortions. While God forgives our sins, consequences often live on. Abortion does not make things better for babies or mothers.
The Eternal Reward
This November I won’t throw away my vote for life because I don’t care for a candidate. Click To TweetI never want to meet those aborted babies in heaven and have to tell them why I didn’t vote to save them. Instead, adapting the sentiment of Boltz’s song, I want to hear:
“Thank you…
I am a life that was [saved]…
I am so glad you [voted].” [2]
Read Boltz’s lyrics here.
Click here to comment.
Blessings,
Debbie W. Wilson
Download a 2016 Voter’s Guide here.
To learn more on how abortions are performed click here.
Click here to listen to the song.
[1] Ray Boltz, 1988, Gaither Music/ASCAP,
[2] Ibid
Sometimes I link up with these great sites:
#Teaching What Is Good, #w2wwordfilledwednesday, #Wedded Wednesday, #Women with Intention, #LivefreeThursday, #Thankful Thursdays, #Grace and Truth, #Dance with Jesus, #Word of God
Debbie, thank-you so much for having the courage to speak the
Truth in love. May God give each of us the courage, conviction, & words to do the
same. Marilyn Couch
Thank you, Marilyn. The last debate helped clarify the issues in many ways for me. May we seek the Lord in all of this.
I could not have expressed my feelings of this any better! All is so true and I continue to tell my friends who Are choosing not to vote ,to look beyond the two Presidential candidates. It’s far more important than that for our nation today .i pray the people will lean on God for this decision and act on his faith. Hope you donmind if I share this very informative writing hoping I can impact someone who is leaning towards not voting. Thank you for sharing Debbie.
Thank you, Kim. Yes, please share.
Yes! Life precious innocent life must be protected!
Amen, Renee!
Well said Debbie! This will help me communicate better to my friends and family.
Thanks, Jennifer. So much on the line. Blessings!!
Kan inte namnen och ev foto publiceras här på bloggen på hur dessa "misstänkta" ser ut? Det är väl offentliga handlingar.Jag bor i Landskrona. Det finns riktiga bottennapp här, men jag pallar bo kvar då det är en fantastisk stad på sommaren. Märk dock väl att bland bottennappen hittar vi både "kulturberikare" från MENA länder & gammelsvenskar i social grupp 3. Båda grupperna är irritationsmoment och förpestar stadsbilden, likvärdigt!
Outstanding read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing just a little research on that. And he really bought me lunch as I discovered it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! 911815
Bravo, Debbie. This is my major reason for voting for Donald Trump; the murder of babies has just got to stop. Period.
I actually came to this by writing a novel, “Emerald Isle” (which is available on Amazon Kindle). It deals with the question of abortion to save a mother’s life, and the research I did into abortion changed me forever.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/10/your-dying-spouse-224-hard-to-go-on.html
Andrew, I think people must not understand what is happening. Thank you for researching and standing on the truth. Since I’m not that far from Emerald Isle, NC you novel intrigues me.
I’ve really struggled on this election too, Debbie. I’m right there with you on the pro-life issue and have always felt very strongly about it. However, my oldest son told me about a write-in candidate Evan McMullin who is conservative–much more so than Donald Trump on all issues. I know that he probably won’t win and probably could only skew the vote more in Hillary’s favor. I struggle with that but also want to vote my conscience. I’m not completely sure who I will ultimately vote for, but your words about the lives of those innocent ones are very compelling. Thank you for sharing your heart and conscience.
Beth, this is a very hard issue. But with possibly 3-4 Supreme Court justices to be replaced, that is too big a risk to me. It’s like I tell my kids and clients, we have to deal with what we have not with what we wish we had. As I’ve wrestled through this election, I thought about the Christians during the early church. If they could have had the privilege to vote between two immoral candidates and one was for religious freedom and pro-life, would they have stayed home or added a write-in to make a statement? Unfortunately, they could not vote. But I think they would have wanted their vote to count. The election in 2000 was decided by hundreds, not thousands of votes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Many blessings.
Thank you Debbie, for your wisdom, courage and strength to stand for those that cannot. I am joining you in this election to stand up for the innocent and helpless. I will vote this election. I understand how difficult this year’s choices are, but we must look beyond the candidates, to the one that will end up with the power to appoint the lifetime supreme court justice. That is the only way I can make a difference in this year’s election. Friends, please do not throw away this opportunity to make a difference for the kingdom. God bless you and God have mercy on our country.
Amen and Amen! Thank you, Brenda!
Amen! Amen, Debbie! I couldn’t agree more! Have you read the piece Eric Metaxas wrote in the Wall Street Journal? It is excellent. We also attended the event Kirk Cameron hosted as a part of ReviveUs 2016 and sponsored by MyFaithVotes. It was great! No candidate was named, but it pointed to our duty as Christians to pray, think, and vote. James MacDonald, Dr. Ben Carson, Francis Chan, Jennifer Rothschild, Vertical Church Band, and Passion were there along with Eric Metaxas and Miss Clara from The War Room closed with a powerful prayer as well! Not sure if you went or had it in your area. They rented 1000 theaters around the country for one night last week and an encore this week.
Pam, I was out of town the night they had it. Sounds awesome!! One thing this election has done, it has rallied Christians to pray. May we stay on our knees afterwards, no matter what happens. I think it has shown what a sad moral state we are in as a nation. Thank you, my friend.
Thank you!
Thank you, Nancy!
Thank you for the clear presentation of this point.
Thank you, Sandi!
Well said Debbie. I am seeing very clearly in this election we tend to vote for the “personality” instead of where they stand on important issues. There are myriad reasons why we as Christians especially MUST vote in this election. This is definitely a critical time in our country. And I love the lyrics of that song – it’s always been a special favorite of mine and a good reminder of how important our choices are. For eternity.
Ann, I agree. There are many important issues. Thank you, my friend.
I appreciate and really support your stance of whom you plan to vote for in November. I am voting my conscience too and that is why I am voting Evan McMullin for President. Character and action count in my mind too. I cannot vote for either Clinton or Trump. Their character and continued actions illustrate a real lack of love for Christ and understanding of living a Christian life that glorifies God.
Mary, whatever is not from faith is sin. So I appreciate your sorting this out with the Lord. As I replied earlier, I have wrestled through this election and thought about the Christians during the early church. If they had had the privilege to vote between two immoral candidates and one was for religious freedom and pro-life, would they have stayed home or added a write-in to make a statement? Unfortunately, they could not vote. But I think they would have wanted their vote to count. They felt the consequences daily. Our unborn feel the consequences of our votes too. So do other areas. The election in 2000 was decided by hundreds, not thousands of votes. Those thoughts have guided my conscience and faith. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Many blessings to you.
Thank you Debbie for sharing your heart so bravely on this issue. I join you in voting pro-life and in spreading the word on the importance of voting this election. Within my family alone there are 4 members who would rather not vote because of the reasons you mention. Three of the 4 have agreed to vote pro-life. We’re still working on the 4th member, and praying every day for God’s mercy. God bless you, Debbie!
Amen, Lisa! We are standing in the need of God’s mercy and grace.
Thank you Debbie for sharing your heart on this ….I so agree.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Good morning Debbie,
Great post and so true. Sara and I are in line waiting to vote and do not ever remember seeing a larger turnout to vote. Our freedoms and future are again on the line. Simply speaking, it is a life or death decision.
Earle, so glad to hear the great turnout. Bless you both. I believe there is so much on the line in this election.
Thank you. Right now, a song keeps playing in my mind. “Thy Will Be Done” . Amen
Amen, Melissa!
Debbie, thank you for this inspiring message! It’s time for Christians to stand up & speak out in defense of the defenseless, precious unborn babies & also for our religious freedoms that are in jeopardy!
Please go to my FB page & watch the video I posted last night, if you haven’t already heard him; Lance Whitaker Wallnau! His comparison of the candidates to Samson & Jezebel make the choice clear, also!
I hope you & Larry are doing well! Let’s get together sometime for some good fellowship!
I’d love to get together, Lucille. What a great comparison, Samson and Jezebel! I’ll check out your video tonight.
Thank you, Debbie for speaking out. I felt the same way after the last debate too. Wow… don’t we need to be in prayer!?!!! Bless you.
Shirley Miller
Yes, Shirley, we do. I’m thankful the last debate made their different stands so clear. Great to hear from you!
Dear Lord, We need your help in this one. This is the worst election we have ever had
and I don’t know if we can do it alone. Voting for someone you know is not going to win
is a waste of time . Vote for the person that you think will do good for the country and the people. I am 83 and can’t remember an election being so nasty and so many bad
things being said about each other. I could go on and on , but I am sure the Lord will hear every word I said and hopefully help us through this terrible time. We are not the people we used to be. There is so much evil and bad things going on in the world and someone has to try and reverse the situation. I can remember when we used to help our neighbor , not kill them. WE THE PEOPLE SHOULD STICK TOGETHER. AMEN
Amen, Connie. Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake His own. Let’s stick with Him.
YES, Debbie! We need to look past the two candidates and know what they stand for. Thank you for having the courage to write this because life is life no matter how tiny or imperfect it is. Thank you for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
Amen, Lori! Blessings to you, my friend.
May God give each of His children the wisdom we need to steward our votes well! Thank you for sharing with us at Grace & Truth.
Amen, Jennifer. Thank you for hosting. Blessings.
Dear Debbie, The perspective you are able to give in light of such challenging times was refreshing to me this morning. I have to admit that I am a little discouraged by fellow believers and their choices in voting. Many friends are adamantly opposed to Trump so either voting for Clinton or third party. When I have used the ‘life’ as being a guide to voting, many have responded with “I am not a “one-issue voter!” vehemently.
My husband has been in communication with an elder in our church who is openly voting for Clinton and sharing it on Facebook. After asking him why? the elder de-friended him on Facebook.
How we vote is about our children and grandchildren’s future, not ours!
Your words and I quote, “I never want to meet those aborted babies in heaven and have to tell them why I didn’t vote to save them ” brought tears to my eyes. May we as believers get out of the way and ask that God will move in our hearts and lives and we vote biblical values!
Thank you for writing the words I needed to hear,
Dawn Nelson
Dawn, while some issues are debatable, where God is very clear, we should be too. I think some issues matter to Him more than others. When we get those right we have His favor. Actually there are many issues at stake in this race. But this one is truly a life and death issue. One of the two main candidates will be in the White House, unless God intervenes. We don’t get to change that. But we can vote on the issues that matter most to us. If Christians refuse to vote because they don’t like a candidate, like millions did the last election, we’re giving up our voice.
Ironically, the response you got is not unusual. My daughter had some people trying to quarrel with her on FB. I suggested she ask which issues mattered to them instead of continuing to defend her stand. Neither responded.