IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE ELECTION

The elections were coming. I was not liking how it was going after the primaries. I have been very troubled by this election. We had candidates that I was not happy with and propositions that were very controversial.

When Prop 8 was first introduced, I thought, "What's the big deal?" I didn't think it was worth worrying over and didn't particularly feel a need to fight for it. But then we got instructions from the First Presidency of our church. I was shocked. It didn't take long to get on board, though.

The more I learned about what was happening, not just in California, but all over the nation regarding gay marriage, the more concerned I got. And the more vested I became in the fight for Prop 8. I've never hated gay people. I have gay friends that I love. And I was heartbroken that they would be sad or angry that I was supporting Prop 8. But we are commanded to follow the prophet. And the prophet said we needed to do all we could to support Prop 8. So we did.

We cut our own expenses to contribute money and we volunteered our time. We posted signs and shared opinions. We did it because we felt in our hearts it was right.

The Bible story that has repeatedly come to mind is the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Abraham was commanded by the Lord to sacrifice his son. He obeyed, even knowing that it was not in line with the teachings of the Lord. The Lord stayed his hand and provided another offering. But Abraham had proved his loyalty to the Lord.

We were asked to support Prop 8. Regardless of how we feel about it, it was a commandment. I never thought we would be asked to just blindly follow. I didn't even realize at first the similarities in what we were asked to do and what Abraham was asked to do. My testimony has grown because of it.

In the past, I've frequently visited an author's message board. Her son is gay and she was encouraging people to vote against Prop 8. I very respectfully shared why I was going to vote FOR Prop 8. It turned into a very long and very civil discussion. People who didn't agree with me were still civil. They expressed their disagreement, but people also learned a lot about possible consequences if Prop 8 failed.

Today, someone asked about our views on Prop 8 since it passed. This is what I posted:

this is a sensitive subject

Posted by Tracy on 11/5/2008, 14:54:07, in reply to "prop 8"

While I supported and voted for Prop 8, I understand that there are others who are hurt by it. But we had conflicting rights and concerns and one side had to win. And while it could have been initiated and accomplished in a different way to appease everyone, there's always the chance that no matter what anyone came up with, people wouldn't have been happy.

My heart breaks for those that are hurting. But I feel that the people's voices were heard and should be respected. And I think the fact that California and the nation voted Obama in as president proves that we're not a nation and people controlled by prejudice and descrimination. Prop 8 was not a civil rights issue and didn't pass because people were prejudiced. It passed because people have fundamental beliefs about the family.

I really hope that we can all accept things and find ways to live together, instead of continuing to fight. I fought hard for Prop 8, and I'd do it again. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed it or that I want the contention to continue. I really hope we, as a people, can heal after this election.

Since that post, I have received numerous replies that have been excruciatingly hateful. I am amazed at the level of anger and hatred that has multiplied since we fought for something the Lord set for us. I thought the fight would be over after the election. But I'm comforted knowing that we obeyed and we did what we knew to be right.

In D&C 4:2, it reads: "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

Stepping away from Prop 8 and towards the election in general, I am deeply troubled that John McCain and Barack Obama were the best our country had to offer. I liked John McCain slightly better than Obama. Or maybe I should say, I thought he'd be a better president. I didn't like either of them. But Obama won and now we're moving into a new administration.

I have said on many occasions in political discussions that I don't think any policy or law is going to fix our country until we fix the character and integrity of the people and rebuild the family. We are in a different world than ever before.

I don't think there has EVER been a time when good and righteous parenting was more important. It is imperative that we all, as mothers, fathers, teachers, leaders, take it upon ourselves to teach our children what is right. To strengthen their spirits that they might have the fortitude to overcome the world that is falling apart around them. We have an obligation to provide our children with the knowledge and understanding to take on the challenges that they will face and find ways to improve life for themselves and others. We need to raise future teachers and leaders. People who will, when asked, follow the Lord. Even blindly, if asked to do so. I'm overwhelmed by these responsibilities. But I will try my hardest to be the kind of mom I need to be and follow the Lord.

Yesterday, after the election, I thought the fight was over. But today it's becoming more clear to me that it's really just beginning.