We are now just over a month away from the 2016 presidential election. What a year.

I realize the first round of debates were over a week ago now, but I'm still kind of thinking about them (while trying to not think about them at the same time, if you catch my drift). As I watched the first portion of the debates, I had many of the same thoughts you probably had. In general, I honestly just feel embarrassed that we are where we are.

I'm not the most politically aware or informed person you will ever meet, but I try to vote intentionally and thoughtfully when the time comes.

As I've observed interactions and posts on social media over the past several months, I just never know quite what to say. Or how to respond. So I usually default to not saying anything. So this is me saying something, even if my "something" is that I'm not sure what to say. My plan in this election year is to focus on what I know, rather than speculate or theorize about all of the things I'm unsure about or don't understand.

I don't want to be misunderstood or perceived as someone who only cares about my political views rather than really caring for people. And on social media, we are limited to sound bytes. Paragraphs. Links to articles. It is nearly impossible to fully convey the sum of our values and beliefs via a few social media posts. As followers of Jesus, we have to be so careful as we navigate our current online political climate.

For those of us who follow Jesus, there is so much more at stake than just who becomes our next president.

At stake is our nation's perception of the person of Jesus Christ as a result of their perception of us. According to 2 Corinthians 5, we are Christ's ambassadors. His representatives. Essentially, people are evaluating Jesus based on what they see in us. And the message we have to proclaim is that God cares more about reconciling each and every person in this world to himself, and less about who each person votes for. We have the incredible privilege and responsibility of demonstrating to the world what Jesus is like. No pressure, right?

Regardless of how we vote or what issues we choose to defend or oppose, we have to carry the banner of the gospel higher than all of it. The fact that we are convinced that Jesus is king should be far more apparent in our lives than the degree to which we are convinced that Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton should be president.

As I've thought about this election and all that is wrapped up in it, I've been reminded of some Scriptures. I'm not going to break them down and explain them, I'm just going to make a list (mostly for myself) as a reminder of where my ultimate focus needs to be as a follower of Jesus, especially in regard to my relationships with those who don't agree with me.

2 Timothy 2:24-25a, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness."

1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..."

Colossians 4:5-6, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Ephesians 4:29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Philippians 2:14-15, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

Social media wasn't around when these words were first written, but I love that these truths are just as real and relevant for all that we're facing in 2016.

I have seen some followers of Jesus steward their social media with incredible wisdom and grace in regard to politics, but I know there are many others who don't use much wisdom or grace. If for some reason you stumbled upon this article and are not a follower of Jesus, I want to say two things to you:

1. Thank you for reading all the way to the end! Some people might have closed the page when they saw Bible verses.

2. If you've been personally hurt by a follower of Jesus on social media (if they didn't just disagree with you but were downright mean to you), I just want to say I'm so sorry. We really just blow it as his followers sometimes. That doesn't justify it, but I just want you to know that Jesus loves you. It's a shame we skip that part so often in our social media dialogue, because that's a really big thing to skip. My prayer for you is that you would consider that maybe the impression you got about Jesus from someone who claims to be a Christian on the internet might not be the whole story.

I don't know what's going to happen in November. Do I have some fears and doubts and kind of feel like I'm living in a bad dream sometimes? Yes. But can I control the outcome of the election? No. Can I vote and do my part? Yes. Can I have opinions about political issues? Yes. Can I be mean to people who disagree with me? No.

Maybe I'm the only one, but my hope and prayer is that when people think of me, the first thing they think of wouldn't be the president I side with politically, but of the King I'll follow forever.