Finding the Third Way: Beyond Right and Wrong in the Wake of the U.S. Election

This prayer by Cole Arthur Riley resonated deeply with me as I reflect on the US election results, our purpose as those who believe we can influence outcomes through our actions and prayer, and the path forward. I want to move away from a binary view of right and wrong and seek a third way—one that fosters greater understanding and expands our capacity for compassion and love, even for those we might judge as being in the wrong.

"God who is moved to tears,

We have become desensitized to the cries of our neighbour.

We confess that the trauma and terror of the world roll off us like oil.

Help us to never become so familiar with pain

that we grow disinterested in collective liberation.

But keep us from that obsessive attunement

which is prone toward saviour complexes and feigned allyship.

Lead us into a kind of solidarity that reminds us

that in pausing to bear witness to suffering,

we do not center ourselves as the rescuer.

We do not become the voice.

Free us from the responsibility to understand every tragedy at once.

Help us to discern our capacity for solidarity, for lament.

Help us to learn when to stand and when to rest and allow others to do so

—remembering that our activism is shared among a collective.

We don’t have to hold it alone.

Amen."

I want to confess that the overwhelming images of suffering I see in the media have led to a kind of numbness. I simply cannot process so much pain, so I shut down.

The intense coverage of the American elections has had a similar effect, and I am at real risk of slipping into apathy—of letting my prayers become a submissive murmur of acceptance, rather than the prophetic activism that aligns with the image of God-on-a-cross.

At the same time, I want to let go of the idea that I am “holding the problem alone,” or “positioning myself as the rescuer,” or “becoming obsessive” in trying to find a purpose in the suffering and election outcome in a way that makes sense to me. With so many opinions swirling around, each based on what the authors or speakers perceive as correct, and so many people taking sides, I want to avoid falling into that binary trap.

I want to make a lot of space for God's purpose that is so much higher than my thoughts and that I obviously don't understand. If I can surrender to that purpose, although I don't understand it, then I will not dare to hide or to judge or to think I can be the saviour.

I am honestly trying to leave the matter to the God in whose hand the "heart of the king is like a stream of water" and "who does all things according to the counsel of His will". And at the same time "be free from the responsibility to understand every tragedy at once" and to "learn when to stand and when to rest and allow others to do so". I want to learn how to enter into the "peace of God that transcends all understanding" while facing the things I can do nothing about head on. I want to learn how to "stand and keep on standing" in a spiritual plane that I can't even see or understand.

I am learning how to say with Jesus, "I know what is coming, and it fills me with trembling. Yet I cannot ask my Father to spare me from this approaching darkness, for my calling is to be a light within it. That is why I am here, why I was placed on this earth. How could I turn away from the very purpose of my existence? Father, glorify your name—shine through me in the coming darkness, and let my life be a testament to your love.." (My paraphrase of Jn12:27-28)

We often judge people and situations based on whether they benefit us. Our comfort, survival, and well-being frequently shape our sense of what is “good” or “bad.” Ultimately, our judgments often stem from a survival instinct, with the underlying question being, “Is this good or harmful for me?”

We may have done exactly that—judged according to our own survival instincts—to arrive at what many define as “the delusion.” Our understanding of the delusion’s impact on the world has shaped, and will continue to shape, our prayers and perceived purpose, especially in a time when the outcome of this election may not seem favorable for the future of the world in the long term.

If our perceived calling has been to pray against “the delusion,” which we define as belonging to those supporting Donald Trump, it may feel as though we’ve failed. If darkness increases in future through decisions that this new American Administration may make, those of us—and millions of others—may think that our prayers have fallen short.

However, if our purpose was to align with God, to agree with God’s purpose and pray it into being—even if we don’t fully understand it and it seems to be harmful to us and the world—then we have been successful in our activism. Even if those we currently see as deluded seem to have triumphed, and their decisions present a true threat, we can trust that we are fulfilling our calling by anchoring ourselves in God’s will rather than in any particular outcome.

Perhaps the world as we know it has reached an end, and we are entering a new phase in its evolution. The existential threat possibly posed by this American political choice and the wars waged by other narcisistic authoritarian politicians, may become the very trigger that drives humanity to adapt and grow—this time, with an increased foundation in love, compassion, and relational solutions for society's challenges. The overwheming narcisim and its destructive effects may cause an evolution away from self-centeredness and toward a greater focus on others.

This may just be what Jesus could foresee when he encouraged us to love way beyond our human capacities:

"But I say to you, love your enemies (those who you define as deluded), bless those who curse you (those who have broken friendship with you over these things), do good to those who hate you, (those who are actually causing you harm) and pray for those who spitefully use you (by using your hard earned money to fuel their own narcisim) and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Mat 5:44-48) NKJV - The brackets are my additions.

I am gradually learning to love God’s purposes more than my own comfort and, hopefully, one day, even more than my own life. This learning process involves suffering, as suffering arises when we lose control and face the possibility of loss. It seems that suffering trains us to choose fulfilling God’s purpose over preserving our own comfort.

Jesus, though he understood God’s purposes more deeply than anyone, also had to reach a place of surrender through what he suffered. When his preparation was complete, he triumphed in Gethsemane and endured the agony of the cross without faltering in his trust in God. Through his suffering, he wrote the script of unconditional love, surrender, and enduring perseverance, assuring that all who follow his example can share in the same victory. (My paraphrase of Hebrews 5:8-10)

This moment in history, like many other times of great extremity, may be precisely what Isaiah envisioned in his day. His vision of a new era breaking forth may just offer hope and sustenance for the days ahead:

"Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned, and Yahweh’s glory now streams from you! Look carefully! Darkness blankets the earth, and thick clouds cover the nations, but Yahweh arises upon you and the brightness of his glory appears over you! Nations will be attracted to your radiant light and kings to the sunrise-glory of your new day. Lift up your eyes higher! Look all around you and believe, for your sons are returning from far away and your daughters are being tenderly carried home. Watch as they all gather together, eager to come back to you!” —Isaiah 60:1-4 (The Passion Translation)

Isaiah spoke to his own people, yet I believe that if we can discern the purposes of God, we might apply his insights to the challenges we face today. By asking, "In this day, who is Isaiah speaking to?" we may be able to view "Israel" as those of us who recognize a third option—the choice to trust that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

One doesn’t need to profess the Christian faith to be able to love God or to play a role in fulfilling God's purposes. History has proved that over and over again. God is greater than any tradition and even transcends the disbelief of those who deny God's existence. If our goal is to fulfill God’s purpose, we can come together in a way that transcends our own self-centered convictions about being “right or wrong” and find common ground that may just usher in a new manifestation of the divine purpose.

By seeking this third option—one that transcends being right or wrong—we can align ourselves with the Divine heart, a heart that places its own life secondary to a larger purpose. This is the same heart that gave us the icon of the cross, speaking to all who perceive themselves as either right or wrong, guiding us forward into a new future where being right or wrong will be less important than being in love.

In doing so, we can pray and stand together for the sake of the world and the fulfillment of God's purpose for the cosmos—a purpose that includes the visible manifestation of divine love in all its infinite shades.

Perhaps our word for this third option is “surrender.”