After Politics, How Much Emotional Space Is Left?

Last updated on: January 21, 2017 at 9:42 am by Paul Louis Metzger

After Politics, How Much Emotional Space Is Left? 2017-01-21T09:42:34-08:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Creative Commons

Michael Wear was President Obama’s director of his 2012 faith-outreach efforts. He is also a theologically conservative evangelical Christian. Some people might find that non-partisan placement a bit odd or problematic.

Wear remarked in a recent interview with The Atlantic:

One of the things I found at the White House and since I left is this class of people who aren’t driving the political decisions right now, and have significant forces against them, but who are not satisfied with the political tribalism that we have right now. I think we’re actually in a time of intense political isolation across the board. I’ve been speaking across the country for the year leading up to the election, and I would be doing these events, and without fail, the last questioner or second-to-last questioner would cry. I’ve been doing political events for a long time, and I’ve never seen that kind of raw emotion. And out of that, I came to the conclusion that politics was causing a deep spiritual harm in our country. We’ve allowed politics to take up emotional space in our lives that it’s not meant to take up.

Wear was responding to a question if he himself felt lonely. He concluded:

Certainly, it would be a lot more comfortable for me professionally if I held the party line on everything. Politically, I definitely feel isolated. But a lot of people feel isolated right now. And personally, I don’t feel lonely because I find my community in the church. That has been a great bond.

Many of us across the political and ideological spectrum feel isolated today. Where do we find a sense of connection or bond? How much emotional space is left after politics? And how do we create more emotional space if politics has taken up more than its fair share?

One of the barometers for informing us as to how much emotional space we have is: can we enter into conversation with people of other positions without blowing up and taking all the air out of the room? While it is very important to hold one’s convictions close to one’s heart and have a sense of urgency rather than hedge one’s bets at every turn, we need to make sure we don’t lose our identity with political wins and losses. Another barometer would be: how steadfast in our convictions would we remain if threatened with penalties, possible imprisonment, or even extinction for protesting oppressive laws?

The ancient Jewish figure Daniel was a political leader in a foreign land. No doubt, a lot of emotional space in his life was devoted to politics. I would assume there were many times when he felt isolated, as he was exiled from the land of his birth among the very people responsible for Jerusalem’s destruction, and renamed in view of a Babylonian deity. I would assume his emotional space shrunk a bit more and his sense of isolation increased when the decree came for all the people to worship and pray to a pagan ruler under whom Daniel served in exile; the punishment for disobedience was death in the massive jaws of the lions’ den (Daniel 6:6-9). But two things preserved space and connection: Daniel’s faith in God and his people/community of faith. Daniel 6:10 addresses both of them:

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously (Daniel 6:10; ESV).

Instead of praying to the king in the foreign land, Daniel continued to plead and pray to his God for his people and their return to the land of their birth (See also Daniel 9:1-19). The whole aim of the decree—which the high officials of the empire encouraged the king to make—was to trap Daniel in the act of prayer to God for his people (See also 6:11). It didn’t take long to catch Daniel, since he didn’t miss a heartbeat, step, or prayer. He kept right on with his prayers and petitions of calling out to his God with thanksgiving to deliver his people from exile. So should we today.

Daniel did not allow politics to take up too much space in his life. While I am sure he was filled with angst in serving at a very high level of office in an empire that ruled over his own people, he looked to God to deliver. Daniel was not an escapist; in fact, his prayers to his God rather than the king, while facing Jerusalem with windows open so that all could see, was a prophetic rebuke and a sign of civil disobedience—three times daily. Would I have the emotional space to continue on with my daily practice of praying to the God of my people in the face of the threat of being thrown into the lions’ den?

No matter how lonely, isolated or discouraged, no matter how much others question, mock or threaten us, we must continue crying out to God for his kingdom come, his will to be done, on earth in his church and world. Don’t expend all your emotion on those who cannot change the future. Agitate, advocate and spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and isolated, but breathe deep from the Spirit as you do so.

There are many ways to make sure one does not expend all one’s emotion on politics, such as reading books, walking the dog, exercising or playing with the kids. The list goes on. Certainly, God is not separate from such activities. Still, nothing can compare or serve as a substitute for filling one’s lungs and one’s imagination with prayers for the spread of God’s rule through Jesus in our hearts, lives, and world. As we spend ourselves emotionally in crying out to God, he will expand our hearts and lives with his Spirit’s presence so that we can breathe again.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 17, 2017

Jesus Is the Ultimate Humanist

Next Post

January 24, 2017 Post-Ascension to the Presidency: Why All the Uproar?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz