**DISCLAIMER** This is not going to be your average political blog post.

POLITICS!

Isn't that a word that just makes you cringe? Why does it cause so much conflict? It seems to me that people I talk to either get too intense, are somewhat interested or avoid all conversation about them. Some won't even say their party or beliefs because they feel like they will be persecuted or excommunicated by friends or family and ruin relationships. Politics should not bring this much conflict.

With the election coming up this year, there is a huge division in the parties, between the candidates, and the citizens. Both Republicans and Democrats, likewise with Hillary and Trump, both demonize the other and say very hurtful things. I strongly believe that we do the same and it only causes division and hate. I respect each and every person's vote even if I don't agree with the candidate. But this is not a post about how to vote. There are probably a thousand YouTube videos that could help you with that.

So how can WE change this conflict in our country? Well first off, it is all about how we view people. If you judge and view people based on their beliefs, you aren't going to see them for who they really are. The beauty is that you guys can have civil discussions about your beliefs and still be good friends despite contrast in beliefs. A great book I have that shows an example of friendships that have contrasts in beliefs is, They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball. He is a pastor who meets non-Christians in cafes, barbershops and various other locations and interviews them. It is a great read and also has questions to respond to after each chapter. There are probably a lot of people you know that you have contrasting beliefs but are still awesome people.

Secondly, we need to stop demonizing parties and the politicians. Yes there have been things said and done by both parties that have been brutal and unnecessary, along with beliefs that we may strongly disagree with. But by demonizing them and saying mean things, that can cause a division among the people. I see so many people on social media that post how they think Hillary or Trump is bad and they don't like what they have done, and by doing so, they end up saying some negative things and cause more division. Think twice before you post political things on social media.

This reminds me of when Jesus was giving his "Sermon on the Mount" and he said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:3-5).

I strongly believe that we are supposed to show love to people despite the things they say or do to us, the beliefs they have and the politicians or party they vote for. If we actually listened to each others concerns with an open heart, maybe we could at the very least understand each other and respect each other.

Lastly, I believe we should pray. Don't pray for a certain candidate to win or lose, don't pray and say that your party is God's party (because we are all God's people) and don't pray for defeat. We need to pray for the candidates regardless if they win or lose. We need to pray for those that disagree with us. We need to pray for people who say hurtful things to us. We need to pray for our future leader, whoever that is. We just need to pray more. Please listen to Condolezza Rice's prayer as it expresses my heart.

http://www.godvine.com/Condolezza-Rice-s-Prayer-Fo...

I think it's okay to be passionate for a certain party or beliefs, but we need to make sure we are uniting and not causing division. Love will be the cure to this hatred and division. So start loving and don't stop.

I leave you with this question. Why are we so full heartedly devoted to a party or candidate more than God?