A Time for Grace, Not Gloating
Reflecting Christ’s Love Through Humility
It looks like Donald Trump is on his way back to the White House. That’s a good thing but to be honest—I’m surprised. I didn’t think the election would turn out this way considering how hard so many mainstream news outlets were propping up Kamala Harris as the future of America. The rhetoric was fierce (on both sides) and I was sure the democrats would keep the presidency for another 4 years.
But in the end, the people voted, and their decision now stands.
I’ve been open about this: Trump isn’t a perfect leader—far from it. But he stands for many things that I believe could make our country better. Even so, as Christians, it’s important to remember that how we handle this moment matters, especially around those who voted differently. The Bible gives us some wise advice here.
Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.”
This verse reminds us not to celebrate someone else’s loss or rub it in when we win. Instead, we’re called to show humility, grace, and respect.
If you voted for Trump, take this victory with humility. There’s no need to put others down or act like this win means we’re somehow better. And while Trump might align more with our values, he’s far from the perfect role model for Christians. It’s likely that his response in this victory will be less than a humble one. We must continue to pray for him, asking that he would encounter the true light of Christ, opening his heart fully to God and becoming a true follower.
For the next days and months, you’ll encounter some very pointed and angry words from those whose candidate lost. And those words might tempt you to respond in anger or pettiness. But another proverb from God’s Word offers us wisdom for moments just like this:
Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
When it comes to conversations at home, at work, and especially on social media, let’s avoid the urge to return fire with fire. Instead, let’s commit to speaking the truth humbly and in love. If we truly want to make a difference, we’ll do it by being a light in a divided world, showing respect to everyone—even those who didn’t vote the same way.
Excellent article and great reminder about not gloating. The “adults in the room” should definitely know that and realize it is not biblical - nor is it a “good look”. However, I do believe praise and celebration are in order and should be fully encouraged and enjoyed. A lot of people worked long and hard for this victory. It is not a personal “I win” type of thing; rather it is a “let your light shine” endeavor where many took time out of busy schedules to diligently seek out truth amidst a flood of propaganda, then step outside their comfort zones to go door to door for hours on end in the heat, rain etc, etc to help share information, along with countless other acts of selfless dedication in an effort to combat evil deeds supported by a democrat candidate (i.e. weaponizing government against the people, human trafficking, slavery, child exploitation, baby killing, false imprisonment, attacks on our health, destruction of our constitutional freedom of speech, right to worship, etc. etc. There was a lot at stake. As far as Donald Trump goes, I think God only uses imperfect people since that’s all that’s available amongst us humans. Notably, imperfect is a far cry from evil. I absolutely agree that gloating is unbecoming. However, I plan to praise and celebrate BIG TIME!!