Election year dilemma

Everyone has an opinion about how I should vote this year--neighbors, family, acquaintances, FaceBook "friends," the Gospel Coalition, Franklin Graham, Warren Buffet, and my local paper. People are sharing their viewpoints-- some gently, and some not so gently. And while internet and FaceBook hoaxes are not new, this election has certainly spawned some very creative ones: fake quotes, fake violence, nonexistent endorsements, and my favorite ones so far--"Obama signs an EO banning the Pledge of Allegiance in schools" and "3 critically injured after Trump supporter sets mosque on fire." Seriously. People believe this stuff. Neighbors post signs to display candidates they support, only to find those signs defaced or stolen within hours. My darling 80-year old neighbor had all his signs covered with opposition party signs, and his Trump sign ripped off the chain! And in quiet little Asheville, a local rally held by women resulted in a shoving match. Between women. I am being inundated with rhetoric, satire, jokes, breaking news, and old news, SNL, late night and TV talk shows, cable "news", FaceBook, pop-up ads, spam, bumper stickers--it's everywhere, it's relentless, it's exhausting, and it's not helpful. At all. 

Debate moderators are a joke--they argue more with the candidates than the candidates argue with each other. The issues, if there ever were any, are buried under the stinking, rotting pile of name-calling, character assassination, Wikileaks, vulgar videotaped conversations, and the ever-present, never-objective sensationalism-seeking entertainers who laughingly call themselves journalists. The candidates talk more about how the other candidate is worse than they do about themselves or their platform. Hell, does anyone even have a platform any more?They have FaceBook and Twitter and Instagram, yeah. But where do they really stand on the issues? Will they raise my taxes? Can I find a job? How do I afford healthcare? What about the rise in terrorism? What are you going to do to make our country safer? Is Russia going to start a nuclear war? What are your plans to fix our failing education system? What about racism? Those are the questions I want answered. I do not care a whit about deleted emails on Hillary's private server--really, I do not. And I don't give a rat's ass about what Trump said as he was bragging to that jerk Billy Bush. I am sick to death of Trump-ites repeating whatever litanies they are fed by Wikileaks or the media on Clinton's emails, Benghazi, or her husband's sexual escapades. As for much of the hypocritical public shaking their heads and their fingers at Trump's vulgarities, they sit in their living rooms and ogle scantily clad bodies on Dancing with the Stars, and watch Bachelors and Bachelorettes grope multiple prospective future mates on camera, or watch episodes of "insert your favorite TV show here" that have steamy, soft porn scenes and tawdry jokes and groping--on prime time TV, on practically any channel, any time of day. So please, quit telling me that you know best. I don't need anyone writing to me, or imploring me and other "sisters in Christ" to not "deceive myself" about Trump's true identity. I am not stupid. Or uninformed. I am just overhwlemed with the hypocrisy of it all--the media, the lack of true competition, the lack of readily available information, and the preponderance of misinformation that is drowning out or hiding or disguising the truth. 

So how am I to decide? Follow the herd mentality and vote down the party line? Vote the way "respected" Christian leaders are telling me to vote? Do I have to vote? Am I voting for something? Or against something? Why do we know so little about third party candidates? Do they have a chance? Does my vote really matter? Does this election really matter? "Vote your conscience." "A vote for Trump is a vote against Hillary." "Vote the lesser of two evils." "Your vote determines the future of your grandchildren." "Make America Great Again." "Stronger Together." One promises to shatter the Washington bureaucracy and shake things up. Another vies to be the first woman president of the US. Neither of them appear to be fit for office. In a country of over 300 million people, these are the only choices we have next month. I do not yet know how I will check the boxes on November 8th. Or what the outcomes will be. Or if it will matter. 

But of one thing I am sure. On November 9th, God will still be God. He already knows what I will choose. And whoever wins, He will use the person and that party for His glory, for His purpose, for His will. God is not a Democrat, or a Republican, or a man, or a woman. He does not scratch his head or raise his eyebrow at the events that have gone on, are going on, or will go on. None of this surprises Him. 

And in that, I find comfort.