And the next President of the United States will be...

When it comes to politics, I typically keep my opinions close to the vest, and that is not really going to change now. As a registered Independent, I love the feeling of not being key holed into one particular party or ideology. I'm a maverick, a renegade who arrives at the voting booth on a Harley wearing a leather vest while the crowds part as I swagger my way to the voting booth. Or at least I like to see myself that way. In reality, I am just like everyone else when it comes to politics. I have to make an informed decision and so do you. This is where it starts to get tricky.

This election cycle is unlike any I have witnessed in my 46 years on earth, at least from the years that I can remember. I purposefully don't get too involved in political discussions because I value healthy relationships and a stable blood pressure. Besides, I've never engaged in a political debate where either side has emerged saying, "You're exactly right! Silly me, I see it your way and now I've changed my mind!" 

Yet what lies before us on the presidential political horizon is truly historic. The candidates that are set before us are almost cartoonish - not that they are unqualified on some levels, but it's as if someone reached into a grab bag and pulled out the first two items they could get their hands on and said, "Choose one!" I almost expect to find a hidden camera somewhere gauging America's reactions and at any minute a TV host will pop out from around the corner and yell, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera!" Yet all of this is very real and, as Americans, we have some really important decisions to make in the coming months.

So what are we supposed to do? Some of you reading this might be thinking, "What's the problem? My guy/girl is gonna get the nomination and I'm pumped!" If that's you, then this post probably won't mean that much to you. Others of you are already declaring gloom and doom and are preparing your bunker somewhere in the desert where you are convinced you will survive as the world implodes around you. If that is you, then I also suggest that what I am writing may not be of much help. But if you are like most of the people that I know, the future of our country concerns you and you have felt this way long before this election season began to dawn on the horizon.

November is coming, whether you like it or not. I will not tell you how you should vote, but I do want to share a few facts that I hope will be helpful to you in the decision process:

• Whether you choose to vote or not, SOMEBODY is going to be elected as the next President of the United States of America. With Cruz dropping out of the Republican side, it looks like our options will be Trump, Hillary, and a possible third party candidate, that is unless some back room deals take place to totally throw the nominees in disarray. If you are boycotting this next election, then please do so with a clear conscience. I am going to vote, and you should too. If you don't you lose any voice that you want to have. And understand that someone will be elected regardless of whether or not you are part of the process.
• There has never been a perfect presidential candidate and there never will. As a follower of Jesus, I always prefer a candidate who shares my faith values to be the man or woman in office. However, I have never expected that when I cast my vote I am doing so for a messiah who will make America into some sort of theocracy. That's not gonna happen. Regardless of whether the commander in chief shares my faith in Jesus or lives as a blatant hedonist, that will have no effect on how I will live and serve my Savior. The president is not my king - Jesus is.
• Finally, and most important, whoever the next President of the United States is going to be will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the sovereignty of God. I know that saying "God is in control!" sounds pithy and kinda churchy, but it is absolutely true. There will be no man or woman who can take the reins of control of this world out of the hands of the Creator of this world. Even though events happen that will often shake us to the core of who we are, nothing that occurs will ever catch God off guard. Where we are as a nation, society, and world is exactly where we have been heading since Adam and Eve's first act of defiance against God thousands of years ago. And God's ultimate plan has not changed: Jesus will return one day triumphant and all evil, heartache, and pain will be finally vanquished in full.

Truthfully, I do not know how I will vote in the coming presidential election this November. I do know that I will do my homework on the candidates and the issues that they represent, and that I will always vote my conscience. In the meantime, I will continue to pray for America and for who the next president will be, not because I am worried about the candidates that are looming on horizon but rather because I so strongly desire to see a mighty move of God in this country that I call home. And whoever the president is, he or she will continue to have my prayers for wisdom as they lead this great nation.

Yes, I want there to be political and economic stability in this land. But more than that, I long to see men and women place their faith in Jesus and receive the incredible gift of forgiveness, salvation, and hope that only He can bring. And I'm pretty sure that there is no president nor ballot issue that can limit that from happening.