Back in 2015-2016, my son and I were quite engaged with the presidential campaign. In the fall of 2016, when he was a student in a rural Indiana high school, he was the only person in his civics class to say publicly that he supported the Democratic candidate for president. Some of his friends gave him a difficult time for that position. He felt a lot of anger during those months. Nearly every day that fall, we had to de-compress and talk over serious matters. In retrospect, those post-school nights were meaningful experiences, as it allowed us to discuss our political views and develop strategies for getting along with our neighbors and friends who had different views from our own.
Based on what Jacob had heard from his friends at school, there was a lot to process. Some of those conversations began with words like, "Dad, can you explain to me again why we are supporting Democratic candidates this year?" Part of that whole experience, which I will treasure for the rest of my earthly days, was watching the nightly NBC news together with my son and conversing with him about what we were watching. We then tuned in to the PBS NewsHour and discussed what we were seeing and hearing during its segments. Ever since 2016, I have periodically cut out articles from the New York Times (yes, I still receive a hard copy each day) and The Atlantic, and have put them by Jacob's placemat on the kitchen table. During our dinnertime (yes, we still also eat together as a family), we would engage in conversation about those items.
We kept coming back to the following points:
Personal character matters.
Telling the truth matters (cf. Ps. 5.6).
Speaking the truth from the heart and not slandering others matters (cf. Ps. 15.5).
Lying and flattering with a double heart are wrong (cf. Ps. 12.1-2).
Caring for every human being matters since every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1).
Seeking wisdom matters (cf. Solomon's prayer).
Praying for the fruit of the Spirit matters (cf. Gal. 5.22ff.).
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount matters (cf. Matt. 5.3ff.).
Caring for the widow, the orphan, the homeless, the poor, the immigrant, the oppressed, the sick (!), the marginalized, the voiceless--all this matters (cf. Ps. 10.17-18; Ps. 82; Ps. 113.7-9; Lk. 2.47-55).
Serving the Lord with fear matters (Ps. 2.11).
What does the Lord require of us but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God (Mic. 6.8).
On the night of the election in 2016, we were excited and then terribly disappointed, to put it mildly. Jacob wasn't sure he could go to school the next day. I wasn't sure I could go to my classes the next day. We talked into the wee hours of the night and decided upon a few points:
(1) We would go to school the next day and do what each of us needed to do;
(2) We would also agree to take a semi-nazirite vow until a new president was elected. I say "semi-nazirite," since I agreed only not to cut my hair. Strong drink was still an occasional option, and I might have to officiate at a funeral (which I did have to do). (For more on nazirite vows, cf. Num. 6.1-21; Jg. 13.5ff.; 1 Sam. 1.11ff.; Acts. 18.18).
Jacob and I agreed that, during the time of our vow, when we saw the length of our hair each morning, we would say a prayer for our nation, for our president, for the congress, for the Supreme Court, for our neighborhood and community, and for our friends and family. We prayed that God would grant us wisdom and strength, courage and truth, and guidance to follow the teaching of Micah 6.8 and Matt. 5.3ff.
While we jointly kept that vow for more than four months, alas, Jacob's girlfriend insisted that he cut his hair for prom in the spring of 2017. We talked this matter over for a few days and agreed that I would maintain the vow so that he could maintain his friendship with his girlfriend and go to his high-school prom.
Throughout these four years, we have read the Scriptures each morning and evening, prayed in the manner described above, and have asked God to give us wisdom, guidance, and courage. I have tried my best each morning to get my lengthening hair into decent shape. I must say that this semi-nazirite routine has helped me enter the day with renewed faith and hope, especially in the wake of some really trying tweets and times.
Today, in light of the AP's announcement about the outcome of the presidential election, my wife cut my hair.
Still, I don't plan to change my morning routine anytime soon (cf. 1 Tim. 2.1ff.; 1 Pet. 2.13ff.). I will continue to pray for my country, for the president, the congress, the Supreme Court, the president-elect, the vice-president-elect, and for all current and newly elected office-holders--and I will do so in light of the above Scripture passages.
To see the video of the haircut, go here.
