Election Day... I didn't used to think much of it. I mean, I thought a lot about who the candidates were and what they represented, but I didn't think much of the fact that we have an Election Day. Of course we do. Each year. In November. And I didn't ever doubt that it was done fairly. Those who vote, vote, and then we trust that those responsible for the tabulation will do so honestly.
Then I lived in Cote d'Ivoire for two years. There, election days get postponed or canceled quite often. You can't necessarily trust that things will be done fairly.
I think most people in Cote d'Ivoire have a sense of right and wrong and would rather have the right than the wrong. But, at least in my limited experience, I sensed a powerlessness among the people. I remember one time a friend of mine went on a trip to another part of the country. The minibus she was traveling on got stopped along the way by a government official. He asked everyone for their identification cards. My friend presented hers (which was valid and was indeed the document that she needed), and he gave her some mumbo jumbo about having the wrong ID and said she'd have to pay a fine. My friend paid it on the spot, knowing that she would be detained if she didn't. I was so angry when she told me. How can they do that?! It's not fair! I asked her if it made her mad, but she didn't even seem bothered by it. It's just the way things are, she told me.
I realized that often times the people of Cote d'Ivoire are so used to injustice that they don't think twice about it. Injustice is a way of life. But it still makes me mad.
The Bible speaks of a better way. "For I, the Lord, love justice..." (Isaiah 61:8). As people of God, we are to be lovers of justice too. We can start by praying for justice in places where it is lacking. Let's pray this month for Cote d'Ivoire, for peace and justice. Pray that the Lord would raise up leaders there who would act justly and love mercy.
And it's worth mentioning that there are many injustices even in our own country. May we seek justice in our own country, as well as across the ocean.
