You Matter!

In election years (like this one in the U.S.), many people do not vote. Some are busy and don’t want to take the time. Many simply are convinced that their vote won’t make a difference. Yet there are countless examples proving how often just one person, and one vote, has changed the course of history.

In 1649, one vote made the difference in determining if King Charles I of England would be beheaded. In 1824, John Quincy Adams was voted U.S. President by the House of Representatives by one vote over Andrew Jackson. Several American states were admitted to the union by just one vote: Texas (1845), California (1850), Oregon (1859), Washington (1889), Idaho (1890).

In the U.S. Senate, a one-vote margin in 1846 approved a Declaration of War against Mexico. In 1867, the Alaska Purchase was ratified by just one vote. In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. And in 1923, Adolph Hitler was elected head of Germany’s Nazi party by just one vote.

The Bible makes clear that each Believer has a special calling and a personal responsibility. Jesus emphasized this point to Peter in the days before His Resurrection: Peter, and every other disciple, had a special calling on which they should focus.

Jesus tells each of us to follow His call and serve Him faithfully in every task to which we are called.

On this day—election day in the U.S.—remember that your vote matters. Your life matters. Your choices make a difference.