Voting and Setting an Example for the Next Generation

Today, I exercised my rights as a citizen of the United States, and I took the time to do it with David to teach him the value of exercising his rights as a citizen. I used the experience today to discuss with the boys at dinner why we vote and why we chose the candidates that we did.  We used it as an opportunity to also teach them many lessons that I pray will help them succeed in life and glorify God in the process.  It is my duty as their parent to set an example for them in the way they should go in life.

Here are some of the things we discussed today:

1. We need to measure what is right and what is wrong by God's standards found in the Bible.
2. Sometimes doing the right thing means going against the crowd and doing what is unpopular or even scorned upon by peers.
3. When voting, vote on principle and conscience after much prayer and consideration.
4. Two wrongs have never made a right, and nor will they ever!  Evil is still evil even if less.
5. Voting is a way to make your voice heard no matter who you vote for because your vote tells those looking at the statistics who and what you stand for in your choice.
6. You can be content and at peace in your vote and the outcome because God is always in control, and He's the one who puts people into power and takes them out of power.  The outcome has already been ordained by God.  There is no fear of the future!
7. Voting is a right that should be exercised by citizens who are blessed with that right.  
8. Voting is a personal decision.  You need to respect other people's opinions and choices and let God do the work in individual hearts.  You can speak your heart with grace, but leave the persuading and moving of hearts to God.  Act and speak like Christ in all things.  You are His representative and light in this dark and evil world.  
9. No matter who wins the election tonight, we must honor that person and give him or her the respect the position deserves because God put him/her in that power and God's Word commands us to respect those in authority over us.  We are also commanded to pray for our President, so we must commit that person to prayer and pray that God would direct and lead working out His perfect will in and through him/her.