If you were like me, I was unable to remain awake until the early hours of Wednesday morning to watch for the presidential election results. But as soon as I woke up I desired to learn who had won the election.
After listening to the pundits and their predictions, I was surprised that Donald J. Trump is now slated to become the 45th president of the United States.
I found myself wondering: Now that the election is over, what does the future hold? Having gone through such a polarizing campaign, will America unite again or has irreparable harm been done? What will happen to the economy? Will equality between the classes become more even or more disparate? What will happen to immigrants and people of different religions? What will be the reaction of other world governments?
The answer: No one knows. Only God knows what the future holds. And we must all rely on God to be at work in the larger picture. We need to trust that God knows what is going on and what will happen in the future.
But one thing I do know for sure: our nation needs to heal. And I firmly believe that if our nation is going to heal, if we are going to be able to come together and remain united, we need to forgive each other for the ways we acted and reacted, as we were led into such emotional turmoil.
Yes, I believe we were led into turmoil.
Media outlets presented information designed to inflame and offend our sensibilities — regardless of our political persuasion. People on social media outlets posted half-truths and out-right falsehoods to inflame our emotional responses. People accepted that “information” as the truth.
That information was used to bash others who did not believe or accept the same messages. Now that all is said and done, it is time to heal the rifts. Emotions ran high. Feelings were hurt. And if left festering, divisions will continue to spread.
Forgiveness is a major attribute of following Jesus Christ. Peter asked Jesus if he needed to forgive someone seven times. In that culture, that would have been a magnanimous gesture. What did Jesus say? He told Peter that wasn’t enough. Forgiveness had to be offered 70 times seven. In other words, continuously.
Jesus also said if you know of someone who has something against you, go to them and ask their forgiveness. That is very difficult to do. But I will tell you, if you swallow your pride, are willing to recognize how you have hurt someone, and then go to them and ask their forgiveness, healing will take place quickly.
Our nation needs to heal. Our lives and hearts need to heal. What steps will you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, take to help make this happen?
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: How will you help our nation heal?