I am (usually) proud to be an American. I do not take my freedoms for granted. I have never missed an opportunity to exercise my right to vote. And thus far, I have sat silently on the sidelines of this election, eating popcorn and shaking my head at the absolute absurdity of it all, praying that some sanity would emerge before November. But if I still have Christian brothers and sisters who plan to vote for Donald Trump, continuing to be silent would be inexcusable. At the very least, we must expect and require that the leader of our country be decent, respectful, and intelligent.
I won’t reiterate the most recent Trump quotes here, as that has been done, but I will reiterate the character of my Jesus.
The Jesus I know was a feminist; he honored women and showed them respect in the midst of a culture that treated them like property. He shared his life with women, walked alongside them, served them, cried with them, and treated them as equals. When marriages were arranged and women had no power, he called out men to love their wives, to serve them, and give their very lives up for them. He revealed some of his greatest miracles to women first, and men second. He protected them and loved them as a brother and friend.
The Jesus I know sought out the hurting and marginalized. Those who society mocked and feared and rejected, he saw and touched and healed. He surrounded himself with the sick, the disabled, and the poor. He treated them like dignified human beings, even when everyone else cast them out. Jesus was an activist.
The Jesus I know was humble. He was a servant. He lived without money or property or public esteem. The only people he rejected were those inflated with their pride and selfish with their wealth. He had no tolerance for those who only cared about money and self-serving ambition.
And, perhaps most astonishingly of all, Jesus loved the unlovable. I believe with all my heart that Jesus loves Donald Trump, but that he grieves over his despicable words and actions.
That is my Jesus. And if you follow him, I pray that tomorrow, you would follow him straight to the polls.
Kimberly Poovey is a writer, speaker, wife, and over-caffeinated new mom. She runs a teen pregnancy prevention program for a nonprofit and is a founder of Pearls, an organization that serves women in the sex industry and fights human trafficking. You can find her over on Scary Mommy, The Mighty, her blog, and on Facebook.