On Sunday I posted my reasons for not voting this year. I still have the same convictions. But since making that post, I’ve come under a different conviction, mainly from reflecting on Proverbs 24:11-12:
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not requite man according to his work?
And I kept asking myself 2 questions:
- If, somehow, Obama gets elected by one vote in Tennessee, to what extend will I be responsible when he signs the Freedom of Choice Act? I know Obama won’t win by one vote in Tennessee, but that might not necessarily mean the question is invalid.
- Are the things I want to say by not voting more important than what I can do by voting? The only way I can answer this question is to say that protecting the life of the unborn is probably more important than any of the reasons I could find for not voting.
I’m still not convinced these things make it a requirement for me to vote. But, perhaps, when God calls me into account for what I did with my vote today, it’d be best say I decided to err on the side of protecting life.
This, of course, raises more questions. Questions like Is standing in line to vote the best use of my time in trying to protect the lives of unborn children? I don’t know. Maybe I should be doing more.
At any rate, I was unable to vote because I’m not registered in Tennessee. I’ve got four years to pray about what I should do next time.
May God have mercy on me no matter who wins this election. My sins today far exceeded any value my vote could have had.
