Will God Judge You For Your Vote?

I started to write this article in large part as a response to what Dutch Sheets wrote in response to the US electing Obama. (For the record I think Dutch is wrong on this one, but if history proves me wrong, I'll apologize. Any chance Dutch will do the same?) But as I wrote I realized how little I've done to end abortion in this nation, so this is more of a confession than anything else.

I have not done what God showed me to do years ago when I was praying about my role in ending abortion in America. Basically he showed me sitting on a bench outside of Planned Parenthood and praying. I have not done that. Oh, sure I've done it some, but not to the extent that God called for. For this I repent, and God willing I will pray more.

Only recently have I become concerned over what the women getting abortions are going through or what drove them to get abortions.

Even with this new found compassion I have yet to do anything that would positively effect these women's lives and give them a realistic alternative to abortion.

I have become cynical that God will actually do anything to end abortion in this land.

I have not been arrested for sidewalk counseling mostly because I have never sidewalk counseled.

Nor have I been arrested for protesting the killing of Iraqis.

Nor have I let my concern over the war drive me to actually do anything about it.

Nor have I prayed as hard and long as I should for the blessing of God to be poured out on the enemies of the United States of America.

I have been more concerned with fitting in and not rocking the boat than I have with speaking and doing what God has called me to.

I have, alot of times, chosen TV over God.

I have often responded to others out of fear or anger or annoyance and not in love. This includes those I disagree with politically and theologically.

I have also done numerous more things that I should not have done and have not done numerous more things that I should have done.

Of all these I repent and pray that God will give me the grace to live as he wants me to live.

I however, do not repent of the way I voted. First of all, I live in Illinois does anyone seriously think my one vote was going to change the outcome of the election in Illinois? Maybe if the presidential election was based on popular vote my one vote could have tipped the scales (but I doubt it).
Secondly, I don't think God is going to judge me for one vote. He is much more likely to judge me based on how I live the rest of the year.

The main problem that I see in the words given by Dutch Sheets and others is that they place too much emphasis on our political leaders and not enough on us. They told us to vote for Bush. Is the US really any more godly as a result? Have we made progress in making abortion illegal? Do we have more compassion for our neighbors? For our enemies? Does voting for someone who is pro-life negate the fact that he supports the killing of Iraqis? Or are our unborn more precious to God than the lives of boys and girls, men and women living in Iraq? Does voting for Obama mean that all the other things we do to defeat abortion mean nothing? Does a vote for McCain and Sarah Palin mean we are off the hook the rest of the year? Is how we voted more important than why we voted? If I am a racist and I voted for McCain does that mean I escape God's judgment?

Another problem with these words is it turns Obama and those who support him and those who did not support McCain into enemies rather than brothers and sisters. I do not agree with Dutch Sheets on his political stance, but I do not think he is evil. But he seems ready to judge me as such without really understanding why I voted the way I did.

To summarize (for those of you who want to skip everything else I wrote above): God is not going to judge me or any one else for how we voted. God will judge us based on how we live out our lives. I have lots to repent about.