“I can’t believe that he would choose him for that position! Doesn’t he know what that will do to the country? I mean why would he think that this person would be able to solve the problem?”
Since I don’t listen to or watch the news, I was absolutely stunned at how upset she was.
Darnice, a newly minted voter had turned 18 November 1, 2024. Four days later she voted in her first U.S. Presidential election. Her mother pleaded with me, “please, can you help me? All she does is watch C-SPAN and is burning up my phone and emails with calling and writing both the White House and our local congressional representatives. I mean, I’m glad that she cares about what’s happening in our government, because so many others just don’t, but, can you talk to her? She doesn’t have any other speed other than nuclear, and she’s wearing me out!”
I laughed out loud and promised to speak with her.
After spending some time with Darnice, I was convinced of the people she voted for. She told me with excited tears in her eyes and wonder in her voice that she watched every bit of the recent Presidential Inauguration.
“Can you believe that he just told us all exactly what he was going to do, and now he’s making sure that he finds all sorts of people to help him do exactly what he said he was going to do? I’m so glad that there are all sorts of Presidential confirmation hearings for a bunch of different people, positions, and politicians that he wants to help him run things. The crazy thing is that like, no one’s like lying or trying to be sneaky about what they believe. I mean, they’re just kind of up front about it all! And it’s like they’re all just as crazy as he is and they’re all just lining up to help him run it all!”
“Welcome to the world of politics,” I said quietly after listening for a bit. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”
“You know, up until the day I voted, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college. But now I know. I want to go into politics!”
“As Crazy as He Is!”
“As crazy as he is!” That line just kept sticking out in my mind, as I thought back to my recent conversation with Darnice. I began to think about this same fact, that, when Jesus came to this world, and (in His longest recorded speech in the Gospels, aka His “Sermon on the Mount” found in Matthew 5-7) announced His the way His kingdom would run, so to speak.
And, up front, He told His followers that they should pray like this: “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, CEV). I mean, when you get right down to it, this prayer is a very radical prayer indeed! What makes it even more radical was that was the crazy way that Jesus lived, …or loved, rather.
Love Like Crazy!
So, if we’re going to be like Jesus, how do we do it? We love like Jesus. How did He do it? Well, He loved like He was crazy! He loved like crazy! And what does that look like? Well, if you take the time to read Jesus’ own inauguration speech in Matthew 5-7 you see how Jesus did life—love, really. If you read it you’ll see that Jesus basically did life and love upside down and backwards.
You quickly realize that Jesus basically tells His followers that they are the “salt of the earth,” meaning, they can help enhance and improve the culture-at-large (Matthew 5:13). Interestingly, as you continue reading you realize that everything that the world perceives and values as important, Jesus actually doesn’t! In fact, Jesus puts this concern to rest when He makes His followers this guarantee about how they choose to live and love: “ ‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need’ ” (Matthew 6:33, NLT). Another translation puts it like this: “But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well” (CEV).
The Challenge
Does this mean that Jesus wants you to sell everything you own and move somewhere half-way around the world in order to share Him with others? Likely it won’t. But it does mean that Jesus wants you to live your life looking outward, not inward.
What this means in the most simple terms is that every day you can challenge yourself to do something kind and thoughtful for someone else. This could mean anything from calling or texting someone, to checking on them, or doing something kind for them, or just letting someone else in line in front of you, or buying someone a cup of coffee, or giving someone a kind word, or sending them an actual printed note or card or letter or gift in the snail mail. Why? Simply because this is what Jesus Himself would want you to do; also, tons of scientific research shows that it’s really great for you! And when you begin to do it, you won’t want to stop. It really is like a drug!
Dueling with Darnice!
After talking with Darnice I quickly realized that she was going to be sold out to politics—and would probably be President one day! But the reality of the matter is that I don’t need to duel with Darnice! She’s going to do Darnice! For you, for me, there are a million different ways that you and I can serve others. My job, however, is to pray and find out what God wants me to do and then commit myself to doing what I can do every single day to bring about God’s kingdom on this earth. Some great ideas for how to live and love and serve others are told to us by Jesus Himself in the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount:
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5: 3-10, NLT).
Declaring “Victory!” over Valentine’s Day
You know that the big day of love is right around the corner, and, realistically speaking, many people are feeling the stress and pressure of this holiday. But I would submit to you that the most loving and most amazing thing that you can do for everyone is to live and love like it’s Valentine’s Day every day! So begin today and do something loving for someone…to anyone—to everyone, every day.
Additional Resources
