We Deserve Our Leaders

““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5, ESV)

The Presidential Debate

Last week, our country witnessed the first presidential debate of the 2020 election. No one was impressed. The debate (if we can call it that) was filled with name calling, false accusations, repeated interruptions, anger, bitterness, and self-righteousness. As others have said, there was much more heat than light. Not helpful. 

Social Media

Immediately following the debate, social media broke out in a storm. Everyone was talking about the debate. I scrolled through my feed reading posts scorning the presidential nominees. They were disappointed and disgusted at what they just watched. Most were disappointed in their presidential hopeful and disgusted in their presidential adversary. 

Yet, there was much more than disappointment and disgust in these social media posts. These posts were filled with self-righteousness. I repeatedly saw people (on both sides of the aisle) sitting on their high horse, looking down in judgement upon the “other side” with disgust. Many posts dripped with the sense that: “Those people on the other side are ridiculous. [Trump/Biden] is an idiot. Anyone that would vote for [Trump/Biden] is an idiot.”

Remove The Log From Your Eye

As I read through these posts, it struck me powerfully, “This is exactly what was happening in the debate.” Literally, everyone left the debate, opened up their social media, and started doing the same thing they watched on the debate—Exactly the same thing. They refused to listen to the other side. They falsely accused one another. They interrupted one another (as much as you can on Social Media). They called each other names. They spoke with anger and bitterness. They were filled with self-righteousness. 

We need to remove the log from our own eye. Jesus says that WE will be judged by the same standard we judge other people. If we want to hold our politicians to a higher standard, we need to begin by holding ourselves to a higher standard. We cannot judge our politicians for doing the same thing we are doing. Before we jump onto social media in our “righteous anger” we need to make sure we’ve taken the time to judge our own hearts. Once you’ve taken the time to remove the log from your own eye, you might accurately see the speck in the eye of our politicians. 

We Deserve Our Leaders

All of this brings us to the realization that we deserve our leaders. We deserve to have these two candidates running for president. It’s sad to say, but these two candidates are a perfect representation of the people. Yes. Ouch. Yet, if you’ve paid attention to conversations over the past nine months, you would understand that the debate looked EXACTLY the same as the conversations going on in our culture. 

We can look in judgment upon our politicians. Or, we can take the time to look honestly at our own hearts. Is there anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, and self-righteousness in your own heart? Then, repent and seek forgiveness and healing through Jesus Christ. That’s the first step in changing the politics of our country. Changed hearts change people, which changes cultures, which changes politics. It begins in the heart. 

We will get the leaders we deserve. The question is: What type of leaders do we deserve?