Seeing through political differences with Love

During a political uproar in my city that included protests, I followed the news pretty closely as I prayed about the situation. Interviews aired of various politicians commenting on the situation. It seemed like one politician was only contributing to the chaos, and I became frustrated with him.

That evening I drove to the airport to pick up a family member. While I was sitting in my car waiting for their plane to land, I noticed a man standing on the curb near my car, waiting to be picked up. It was the politician that I’d had so much trouble with that day.

I was stunned. It hit me that I hadn’t even thought to pray about how I was thinking about this person, or even to be honest with myself about how I was feeling. As a Christian Scientist, I normally do as the Bible teaches and follow Jesus’ counsel to love my enemies and pray for those I feel have wronged me (see Matthew 5:44). But I certainly hadn’t been loving this individual in that way. Instead, I had felt entitled to my opinion and justified in my approach.

But what I saw right there in front of me in that moment was not a distant political character on TV, but a child of God, just like everyone else.

This shift in my perspective made me wake up to a higher standard of how we can see our fellow man. I saw that my only choice was to love. If I was not loving all of God’s children, then I would be holding to hatred. That certainly would not be a valid option. And there is no in-between. So I made the choice to love.

What unites us is our spiritual nature, and I’ve found that studying the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy, helps us to see more of our true nature. Our higher, spiritual nature is not defined by human history. We are not conflicting mortals. We are all created by the one Mind, God, as spiritual and good. And we are connected to each other through our oneness with God.

When it gets difficult to come together to make a decision, it helps to know that anger and resentment are really just an outcome of fear, a fear that good is not of God, that good is not therefore omnipresent and ongoing. As God’s spiritual ideas, however, we have dominion over any nagging fear suggesting that we could lose good or be subject to discord.

As I prayed in this way, I saw that I could view this person’s perspective as needed and valued, and express gratitude for the good they were doing.

I asked myself if I’d be ready to pray for this politician if he were to, hypothetically, ask me for help. (As one of many Christian Science practitioners, I pray to help others find healing.) This question made it clearer to me that I didn’t have to love what this person said, but I did have to love him, out of obedience to God and the Golden Rule to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). And I did.

Perhaps what I experienced was a small example of what Mrs. Eddy was talking about when she responded to the question, “What are your politics?” She answered, “I have none, in reality, other than to help support a righteous government; to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” p. 276).

Loving God and loving our neighbor are paramount to how we should engage in every aspect of life, including every aspect of politics. In loving God, we are governed by God. We are not persuaded by political personalities or charmed by insincere promises. And we are freed to make decisions as a result of our love for God and man.

In an 1898 message to her church, Mrs. Eddy shared a heartfelt request to pray for the United States, including the nation’s leaders (see “Christian Science versus Pantheism,” p. 14). No matter where we reside, praying for our own country and the world with trust in God’s unfoldment of good removes us from the arena of conflicting perspectives or agendas and awakens us to more of the spiritual peace that we all share.

There is a hymn that begins, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” The ability to let peace be first established in us through the understanding of God is profound. If we each do this, we will be better prepared to contribute to a climate of political peace, appreciation for everyone who serves our country, and impartial love for all our neighbors. And we will be helping the world to head in the right direction.