The Election: Waiting in 2020

Posted on by Joel Johnson
Wednesday, November 4th: Associated Press 7AM

So we wait again… If there’s one thing 2020 is stretching us in, it’s patience. Wait at home. Wait for jobs and schools to reopen. “Please wait, while I run back to my car and grab the mask I forgot to put on for the 100th time!” 😷 Now we wait for the results of one of the most highly contested—most participated in—elections of the 21st Century (and arguably in the history of our nation).
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As a follower of Jesus, the greatest thing I wait for is his return. As Jesus’ brother, James, reminds us:
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“Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.” James‬ ‭5:7-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬
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James’s reminder does not abdicate us of our responsibility to shape our world in the here-and-now, but it does help every believer to put the current events of our time in proper context. The governments (nor candidates) of the world cannot, ultimately, fix our broken systems and lives. 
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There’s only One who will be able to do this, it’s our Master, Jesus, who we patiently wait for. He came to heal the broken hearted (Isaiah 61) and that’s what he continues to do now through his Spirit. Until our hearts are made whole, humanity will be fighting it out. We are all patiently waiting and as we wait, our hearts are being more perfected. As James also said
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“…count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
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In the waiting…we grow in patience. Patience perfects us (matures us, helps us to grow up spiritually, be like our heavenly Father).
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As you wait yet again… let it not consume you—tax, burden, stress you—let it perfect you. Let it make your heart more whole, more like Jesus’. And this—humans with whole hearts (i.e. humans who love their neighbors as well as themselves)—is the only hope for our societies, governments, faith communities and our world.

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Dr. Joel Johnson is the President of Johnson Ministries and founder of the Dark Horse Initiative. Dark Horse's vision is "every underdog an overcomer" and exists to "inspire underdogs to actualize their highest potential" through the Five Pillars of transformation: Faith, Friends, Family, Fitness, and Finances. Joel was a professor at Belmont University, in Nashville, teaching master's-level courses in communication and leadership . Prior to this, Joel co-hosted Acquire the Fire (ATF) conferences for 12 years (nearly 200,000 people attend ATF events each year). Joel’s passion, communication prowess and sidesplitting humor make him one of the nation’s foremost speakers and authors. Joel started speaking when he was 14. Since then, he has spoken before more than 2 million people in over 20 nations around the world. Additionally, Joel has traveled speaking with such bands as Switchfoot, Mercy Me, Fly Leaf, Amy Grant, Newsboys, Skillet, Leeland, Third Day, Super Chic(k), Tree 63, Petra, Gospel Gangstaz and Jeremy Camp. As a teen, Joel surmounted the challenges brought about by poverty, a broken home, and abuse, his inspirational stories and teaching have helped thousands to find freedom from the wounds of a broken past. Joel loves the local Church! He has served in his local church for almost 30 years. Some of his roles have included: Campus Pastor, Global Executive Pastor of Student Ministries, College Pastor, Student Pastor and South Eastern University Site Director. Joel is also an avid adventurer. A few of his adventures include: navigating down the Amazon River, living with a native tribe in the Darien Jungle of Panama, partaking in many traditional Maori Hangi feasts and ceremonies in New Zealand, playing music throughout the war torn city of Beirut, trekking to the top of Yosemite’s Half Dome and Pike’s Peak, walking the streets of Hanoi, riding an elephant through the jungle of Chiang Mia and overseeing the remodeling of an orphanage playground in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Joel underwent two years of ministry training at Abundant Life School of Ministry, received a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Texas at Tyler and a Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M University School of Law.* He has authored three books: The Divine Matchmaker, Walking Like Zombies and Emerge: Cracking the Cocoon of Media Socialization. Joel is also married to a dynamic author and speaker, Casey Johnson. Joel, Casey, their son, Lincoln, and daughter, Reagan, live in Charlotte, NC.