In 2008 i was a first-time voter and watched the election unfold from Brazil. As a newcomer to this political action and fresh off of reading Shane Claiborne’s Jesus for President, I had a lot of questions. I’m grateful for the people who surrounded me, wrestled with those questions and helped me navigate the newness.

As a group of us watched the election results come in, a mentor said, “We vote as an act of faithfulness. No president is perfect. And we already know they aren’t, but we make the most faithful choice we can with the information we have.”

She went on to explain that in doing so we use the power we have, however small we perceive it to be, to support who we think will most likely move forward the kin-dom of God.

I’ve heard that same sentiment many times since, and it remains a foundational lesson for me. Not only does it inform how and even why I vote, but it serves as a reminder of empathy.

I know there are many people who agree with what I just wrote but vote for different candidates.

It’s true. We don’t all agree on the actions to take. In this issue you will find some commonalities among our featured authors, but you will also find dissonance.

As we worked on this issue, our first with a theme, we were thrilled with the number of submissions and the writers’ openness to share with us and our readers.

I want to say thank you to everyone who submitted an article, even if we couldn’t use it this time; please don’t let that stop you from submitting in the future. Choosing which articles to use was hard, and just because yours wasn’t published this time doesn’t mean it won’t happen later.

For anyone who thought about writing a piece or maybe started writing but then didn’t submit it, next time please do. When you submit articles and letters, you are a co-creator of Anabaptist World. We want to hear from you.

U.S. readers are receiving this issue just before or after or even on Election Day. Wherever this issue finds you, I pray that you are taking care of yourself. With COVID, politics, holidays and so much more, I hope you can give yourself space to rest, process and then take the faithful next step.