big brother.

A “guest writer” for this blog post.

These are the words of my older brother Lee Stowe, a pastor and teacher in Upstate New York. His words perfectly describe how many of us are feeling right now.

Hi, everyone—

I’ve been giving this some thought, and this may go for awhile. I invite you to hear me out.

I am likening the American political saga of 2017-2020 to the Dr. Seuss story of “The Sneetches.” As to which ones are star-bellied or plain-bellied, you can assign Democrat to one and Republican to the other; it makes no difference. Each side is diametrically opposed to the other. In my view, Donald Trump has brilliantly played the role of Sylvester McMonkey McBean. He has been able to play (and prey) upon the beliefs, fears, naïveté and misunderstandings of both sides and basically drive a wedge between the two sides. That wedge has since become a chasm. In the story, by the time the Sneetches realize what is happening, they are left in a mass of confusion literally not knowing who is on what side, and McBean has made off with all of their money. We have come through the past four years. Each side definitely knows who is who, but the mass of confusion, coupled with division, is still there. There is hope at the end of the story, though. The sneetches then realize that a sneetch is a sneetch, whether star-bellied or plain, and they move forward from there as one.
The takeaway, in my opinion, is this: whether we are Democrat or Republican, whether we are white or black, whatever the differences are, not only are all of us Americans, but we are also children of God. He made us all, and He deliberately made each of us differently. We are all created in His image, and each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. All of us are children of sacred worth. This is something that has been lost in translation over the past months.
There is never going to be a “perfect candidate” because there is no such thing as “the perfect human.” Mistakes are going to be made; that is human nature. There is, has been and will be only one person in this universe who is perfect, and last time I looked, none of us are God.
This campaign in particular has exposed the differences among party lines, leading in some cases to hatred and separation. No two people are ever going to see eye to eye on everything; again, this is human nature. However, disagreements over a given issue does not make you my enemy, nor should it make me yours. This should be the beauty of the process. It is that disagreement, I would hope, that would lead to a conversation in which people can come to an understanding, to consensus, or to at least be able to agree to disagree, and from there the opportunity for healing and relationship building can arise. Right now our nation is a wounded world that is crying out for healing, and it is this healing that must take place, regardless of whoever is sitting in the Oval Office. Just as star-bellied and plain melded together to make one, so now it is time for red and blue to make purple so that conversations can take place and healing can begin.
How fitting that we are on the cusp of the season of Advent, which is the lead-in to Christmas. How poignant that the liturgical color for Advent just so happens to be purple. The mantra at this time of year is “Peace On Earth.” Peace on Earth, peace in our nation, peace with our neighbors begins with us. Let this be the time that differences get put aside in favor of harmony, unity and healing. Purple is the color of the season; may it move to become the color of every American heart. May we find what it truly means to be “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Thanks for taking the time to listen to me. May God richly bless you all, and may God richly bless America.

May we all find peace and harmony through the holiday season, and for many years to come.

Thank you, big brother. ❤️🇺🇸😊