Our professions don’t define us, neither should our politics

The United States was over two years Abraham Lincoln issued the first official proclamation making Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Lincoln called on all Americans to “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”

Perhaps more than any other political figure in American history, Lincoln understood that although the American political system is the envy of the world and worthy of preserving, the politics of the day is still subservient to the cultural and family bonds that hold us together as a nation.

{mosads}As 2018 winds toward an end and our nation re-emerges from yet another hotly contested election cycle, politics is still far from over this year. Congress and President Trump still have work to do to fund the government and enact several legislative and judicial priorities. But any unresolved political differences we now are facing pale in comparison to the headwinds facing Lincoln in November 1863. Even so, his proclamation is every bit as relevant then as it is today.

Thanksgiving should be a time to put our political differences aside and gather with family and friends and as President Lincoln stated, give thanks for “the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.”

Data shows we are enjoying one of the most peaceful and bountiful eras in the history of the United States and the world and there is much to be thankful for.

President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank reported earlier this year that “over the last 25 years, more than a billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty and the global poverty rate is now lower than it has ever been in recorded history.

This is one of the greatest human achievements of our time.” The percentage of people dying from war-related deaths across the globe is at its lowest point in centuries, with the U.S. currently enjoying the lowest rate of violent deaths in over a century.

Unfortunately, our fixation on hyper-partisan political animosity leads us to believe that the opposite is true. The ubiquitous deluge of political content across social media and the highest ratings for cable news and talk radio in the history of modern media show America’s voracious appetite for political melodrama. But do our politics truly define us?

I work in conservative Christian politics where I have to immerse myself in a litany of policy issues and voter education campaigns across the country, but my job and the amount of time I invest in politics does not define who I am.

First and foremost, I am a devout Christian. I’m a devoted husband to my beautiful wife of over 15 years. A father to two beautiful daughters. A son to two heroic parents who adopted me at birth. A brother and brother-in-law. An uncle. A friend.

Just as our professions don’t define us, neither should our politics. None of us will ever agree on every political issue, but one thing all Americans can agree on is that we need to take the time to give thanks for our many blessings.

Comedian Bill Maher and I couldn’t disagree more on politics, but on the final episode of his show Real Time he implored his audience to “stop talking politics to each other” as our friends and relatives “won’t change their mind over the green bean casserole” at Thanksgiving dinner.

On this one, I think Maher has it right. Our family’s Thanksgiving will not be spent discussing the Democratic takeover of the House or the impending fight over immigration reform. Instead, we will discuss our daughter’s 11th birthday party, our upcoming trip to Disney World and if my alma mater, the Baylor Bears, can somehow manage to beat my father-in-law’s Texas Tech Red Raiders for once in football.

It is my hope and prayer that we can all set aside politics for at least one day and as President Lincoln called for in October of 1863, engage this day “of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Tim Head is the executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.