On Politics (But Not Political)

Usually this blog is a means of keeping you up-to-date on our life and ministry here in Guatemala. This is an important link to our prayer and financial supporters around the world, so I don’t want to take advantage of your time. However, occasionally the ramblings of my mind center on a thought that burns inside of me. During those times I have found that I had better share that thought, or I will not be at peace until I do. This is one of those moments.

Last year we lived through our first Guatemalan presidential election. Believe it or not, these events are even more obnoxious than in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of posters, billboards and flyers covered the country, and vehicles with loudspeakers blared music and political rhetoric up and down every street. When everything was said and done, the new President was Otto Pérez Molina, who recently celebrated his 100th day in office.

Now, for the first time, I am observing the US Presidential election process from a distance as an outsider. I don’t have time to follow it closely, so I only catch an occasional headline or a few posts by friends on Facebook, but the gist is the same as every election around the globe. Everyone is looking and hoping for a candidate who will fix things. They want someone who will change the country, make life better, lower gas prices, create more jobs and make them happier than they currently are. It is the common cry heard around the world.

Last week as Guatemala marked Molina’s 100th day in office, there was a huge article about a poll that was taken showing the country’s hope for the future has skyrocketed in the last year. The president now enjoys an 82% approval rating compared to the previous president who only had one in the upper 20’s. The reason for this radical swing is obvious…it is early in the new president’s term, so there is still hope. I am confident that in 3 years President Molina’s approval rating will have plummeted as well. How can I be sure? Because in Guatemala’s history as a Democratic Republic, no political party has won two presidential elections in a row.

In this country with 50% unemployment, out-of-control inflation, and a crime rate that is scary, everyone is looking for a president who will change things and make their lives better. But, as the years of a President’s term slide by, the hope of change gradually dies and they look to the next election. It really is no different than any nation that has elected leaders.

Recently I was struck by a profound thought…in democracies and democratic republics politics are simply a symptomatic expression of the nation’s heart. In other words, people vote according to the condition of their souls and the government is a simple reflection of that. Therefore, trying to change a nation through politics is like a tail trying to wag a dog. It does not work.

For years I have heard conversations about corruption in politics, and that conversation has continued here in Guatemala. But a nation’s great problem is not corrupt politics, it is a corrupt heart within its people. Nations around the globe clamor for peace, happiness, fulfillment and hope. We believe that more jobs, lower gas prices, a balanced budget and a prosperous economy will provide these things. In other words, we are seeking in politics the things we can only find in God. For too many years I have allowed myself to be distracted by politics when I should have been focused on something far more central to real national health. I believe that is true for the church as well.

Last week we said goodbye to Charles Colson. Never has this contrast of values been so clearly seen in one person. He is a true picture of before and after. Before, he was Nixon’s “Hatchet Man” doing whatever was necessary to advance a political agenda. After he encountered Jesus he was a man of God who spent his life changing one heart at a time through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He once spoke these words:

The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us or what laws are passed or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. That’s where our hope is in this country. That’s where our hope is in life.

I am not advocating that we, as Christians, withdraw from all political involvement and dialogue. To have a vote in selecting our leaders is a privilege for which much of the world pleads. It is also an incredible responsibility which we must take seriously and approach through prayer. However, I do believe that we need to remember the true source of hope is not politics. As a result, political involvement should not be at the top of our priorities. In fact, I believe it falls well down the list, well below loving God, loving our neighbors, making disciples, loving our spouses and raising our children as world changers. But my fear is that, for many in the church, it has usurped these higher callings.

The only hope for real change that will improve our nations and our world is Jesus Christ. We must lend ourselves completely to the mission of changing hearts, one at a time, through our risen Lord. And, as more and more lives are changed, the nations will change.

And so, together we do the things which God does. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take in the fatherless and love the unloved. And, as we do so, we boldly proclaim that joy is not found in any of those things, but in Christ alone. And the world is changed, one life at a time. Because hope has nothing to do with the one who sits in the White House and everything to do with the One who reigns in our hearts.

I feel better. Thanks for reading. Now, let’s go to work!

Daryl