A Message for Election Day

[Smith, Juliana]

Good morning, Everyone,

The day is here— Election Day, and I’ve wrestled with how to introduce this message to you all, my colleagues within Baylor Athletics and brothers and sisters in Christ. I encourage you to use the information provided below to pause for a few minutes today and pray for our community and country.

While this message is not about voting, it is about how we engage with one another and position ourselves to maintain our salt and light. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He tells the crowd gathered,
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” - Matthew 5:13-14

In reflecting on this passage, I am challenged to rise above the discord, anxiety, stress, and all the other emotions associated with the election. The Word doesn’t tell us who to vote for or not vote for. Instead, the Bible is filled with stories of redemption, love, peace, holiness, and the good, perfect, and complete work of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This passage also demonstrates that we indeed have a responsibility in the world, so we cannot disengage from what is happening around us—in our communities, with our friend groups, or even on this campus. This is why we invited Dr. Villegas to lead us in exercises on civil discourse last month. As an extension of those sessions, I wanted to share a few tools to help us steward our saltiness and power our lights to shine as brightly as possible in this season.

Article: How to Thrive in a Tumultuous Election Season<https://www.biola.edu/blogs/talbot-magazine/2024/how-to-thrive-in-a-tumultuous-election-season>
Devotional: Guard Your Heart<https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/52230> (YouVersion Bible App)
Alternate News Source: The Pour Over<https://www.thepourover.org/our-beliefs> | Decaf: The Pour Over for Families<https://www.thepourover.org/decaf>
Baylor Conversation Series: A Panel on Politics and Faith<https://bn.web.baylor.edu/event/2024/1525799> moderated by President Livingstone

My prayer for each of us within Baylor Athletics is that we would deal with one another with gentleness—that we would model it and that we may expect it.

I leave you with this message from the Apostle Paul. "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ." -  Philippians 1:9-10

_________________________________________________________
Juliana Smith | Executive Senior Associate AD, Mission Impact & Enrichment
Women’s Basketball Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
Cell: (254) 342-9037


[signature_1671583990]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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