Election night

The votes are cast, and Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. It's 11:30 p.m., and I should have been in bed long ago. The outcome is hardly surprising, and I could have read the results in tomorrow's headlines. But there is something historic about tonight, and I had to feel a part of it. It's a night I'll look forward to telling my children and grandchildren about.

Obama's speech tonight resounded with hope, and like many of those who gathered at Grant Park, my face was wet with tears. No matter what we think of Barack Obama, we can remember the words of another black man, a pastor from a generation ago whose personal faith in Jesus inspired a dream. That we've elected a black man to the highest political office signals something profoundly good for America. 

I didn't vote for Barack Obama. And neither did I vote for John McCain. The arguments matter little now. What matters is the future. 

Moral Clarity

In the New York Times yesterday, there was an opinion piece entitled, "What I Will Miss About President Bush." Six people contributed, and the one that stood out most to me was the piece by Ari Fleischer, the White House Press Secretary from 2001 to 2003.  "Mr. Bush saw the presidency as the place to call the American people to big challenges - in morally clear terms. As his spokesman, I knew that many people would be uncomfortable with how easily he made such moral judgments. I also knew that many Americans welcomed his tough, direct and unambiguous moral clarity."

All day yesterday, I let those two words, "moral clarity," turn over in my mind. Ryan and I had a conversation on a walk yesterday afternoon about a difficult situation he has to handle at work. Someone has lied and doesn't want Ryan ratting him out. Ryan's integrity, maybe in a small way, is nonetheless on the line. We talked about moral clarity, this ability to see right from wrong and stand on moral principles.

I don't know how often we can expect moral clarity from our Presidents. I wish it could be so, but it seems that the political game is played by compromise and concession. But one thing I do know is that I, a follower of Jesus Christ, must be a voice for moral clarity. And probably even more importantly, I've got to be teaching our kids these clear categories of right and wrong.