Why Politicians Continue to Let Us Down

Election season.

Political signs on every corner, my mailbox stuffed with political propaganda, a list of presidential candidates that gets people from all political persuasions fired up out of fear, hatred, angst—all with an increased level of voter apathy among the younger generations.

Why such a furor?

I think it’s because we feel like we’re continually being let down by our elected officials.   It can be due to shady morals, untrustworthy actions, or simply unfulfilled promises.

But is it possible that we get let down because we allow our hopes to get too high?

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I have long felt that America is a society fraught with idol worship.

Not the kind like you see on Indiana Jones, but the kind you see on a professional sports field, or on stage singing our favorite ballads, or preaching from a pulpit.

Or in a political campaign.

We may not want to admit it, but we all worship idols.  I do, you do; it’s in our fabric. 

I think we worship idols because our hearts have this need to lean in to something greater.  And when we see people in the public eye who appear to have achieved something of worth, we build a false hope that that person will be the Great Infallible.

But they’re not.

Because they’re human just like you and I are human. 

More than that, when we elevate someone else, we (by default) diminish ourselves.

And while this may sound bad on paper, this can actually be very strategic.

Because if I’m diminished, then I suddenly am incapable of making an impact in the world around me. 

If I am incapable, suddenly I can shirk my own personal responsibility and pawn that role on to others.

And those others are often our political figures, at least this time of year.

Maybe the key to changing the direction of our country isn’t held by our elected officials.

Maybe the key to change is actually held by us.  By you and me—regular people who are capable of so much more than we can ever dream or imagine.

Maybe the key to change starts on the inside.

I can change.  As Bono sang back in the early ‘80s, “I can’t change the world, but I can change the world in me.”

And when I change, and accept the fact that I have a God-given responsibility to lead my family, my friends, and my sphere of influence in a way that makes the world around me a better place, maybe then my hopes won’t be so tied in to who’s in office.

Because the truth is, who is in office has no effect on whether I can love my children well, and teach them character and integrity, no matter how counter-cultural that may seem these days.

Who is in office has no effect on whether I can be a better husband, or a better leader, or a better boss.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t vote.  We absolutely should.  But we should do so with realistic expectations—that the people we elect aren’t the real agents of change.

We are.

So go vote.  Please vote.  But when you do, let that be a moment to inspire us to be the change we want to see.  To take ownership of it—to live it out, each and every day.  Because true change starts not within the polling booth, but within each and every one of us.