Post-election thoughts

So here we are about a week after the election. I'm not going to get too much into political views (yes I do have them), instead I want to share my thoughts on how maybe the church should look at this. Of my christian friends who voted, they either voted for one or the other of the 2 major party candidates, or maybe for a 3rd party. I've heard the arguments for why this person according to his or her views can't vote for someone who's not pro-life and favors a certain type of tax code, and I've heard arguments from the other side for voting for a more liberal candidate due to social justice issues, poverty, and so on. I think most of my friends who voted for one way or another did so for very good reasons and hopefully made informed decisions. I also noticed that the two most common reactions I saw after the election were either excitement and joy, or being distraught and angry after the results came in. The only thing I know to say here is that as the church in the United States, we always need to get informed and educated before voting, and pick who you think best represents you (sometimes it seems like neither one really does that well), vote and accept the outcome. You don't have to like the outcome but regardless I still think we have a great system of government in place, flawed as it may be, and I believe God calls us as the church to support and pray for our new leaders. We do need to find ways to work with those who see things differently than us, as much as possible without giving up our own beliefs, and we have absolutely got to stop being so partisan and judgmental toward others who don't necessarily vote the same, within the church and outside of the church.