How to love your neighbor this election season

It’s election season, and it’s not the most wonderful time of the year!

Tension is high — in marriages, in families, in churches, between friends, between colleagues, and even at Bible Studies and Community Groups. Between both of us — one is a pastor, and the other a professional Christian counselor — we have been inundated talking to people caught in this web of dissension, division, hostility, and emotional overload. Often the discord is within the home — and sadly, quite often within the Church or in church group settings.

The places that we trust to be “safe” — family and church — are often battlegrounds during election season. And this election year is no different.

How, as believers, do we deal with conflict? How do we turn opposition into opportunity? We start by having the mindset of Christ.

Philippians 2:5 says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

What mindset did Jesus have?  He was gentle and humble; He treated people with respect and kindness; He saw God’s divine image in every person; He did not show partiality; He was meek (power under restraint); He had a servant’s heart (He didn’t come to be served but to serve others); He loved without condition; He didn’t show partiality; and He sought reconciliation between people and between people and God.

Instead of seeing people in an oppositional way, we are to see them with the eyes and mindset of Christ Himself. Even with all the tension, all the hostility, and all the division, this election season is also an opportunity to be a witness of Christ. 

How do we make an impact on others? How do we show the love of Christ to those who think differently than we do?

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you ...And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:27-28, 31).

Our focus toward others’ this election season — whether they are in our own household, family, church fellowship, neighborhood, or workplace — is to show the love of Christ, especially toward those that vehemently disagree with us or vice versa. We need to be focused on God’s Kingdom and the greatest mission He has given us — the Great Commission.

When our focus is on the mind and love of Christ — to love our neighbor as ourselves — it will diffuse the tension, disconnect the hostility, and show those closest to us, and the world itself, what Jesus Christ looks like in us.

As we said earlier, people are seeking counsel on how to face the emotions that run wild and often out of control during the election season. So here are some practical tips to ease the tension, calm the emotions, and alleviate the stress throughout the next three months:

1. Monitor your media consumption and social media interplay

Research has proven time and again that too much media consumption and social media interaction causes anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation. Unplug from 24-hour news and social media scrolling. When you did interact with others on social media, remember these are your “neighbors” and Jesus instructed you to love your neighbors. Remember, every word you write needs to reflect the mindset of Jesus.

2. Pray for those who are contentious and disagree with you

One of the best things you can do for your own mental health during this season is to pray for those in your life who disagree with you, want to argue, or are contentious. When you start praying for them, God changes your heart towards them and the way you see them, even if they don’t change their attitude.

3. Prepare yourself for difficult conversations

The best way to diffuse tension is to be prepared for it! Set limits and boundaries on your conversations with others during this season. Learn to “agree to disagree” and not have to win an argument. And sometimes you may need to say, “I’m sorry, but you know, I’m not able to talk about this right now.” There’s nothing wrong with politely (and respectively) telling your family member, friend, colleague, or neighbor that you don’t want to discuss politics.

4. Allow people to have another viewpoint than yours!

It’s important, no matter how much you disagree with someone, that you show them respect and not judgment or condemnation. Be humble and think more highly of them than yourself. This is the model of Jesus.

5. Focus on what you have in common, rather than your differences

It’s important to focus on what you have in common with someone — what unites you rather than what divides you. If the person is a Christian, focus on the unity of the Gospel — commonalities like the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

November's victory and defeat will come, but none of it can compare to the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. God is the foundation that never changes in our lives — He is the One who is stable, trustworthy, and in control.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).