Iwould like to take this moment and reflect on the historic political season we all witnessed and will all be reflecting on today, tomorrow and for the next few weeks until January when our president elect swears into office.

America saw a lot over the past year, and we certainly let it all hang out and aired our dirty laundry to our neighbors near and far. We are finally past Nov. 8, the date that we all thought would never arrive, and we have our battle wounds to prove it.

I’m not here to discuss the campaign, the cheap shots, the improper use of social media, the aggression, the anger or the catty manner in which this election was carried out. I’m not even here to discuss the election results themselves, because we all woke up on Nov. 9 knowing the results and having our own opinions.

I’m here to discuss the manner in which we ought to conduct ourselves whether or not our candidate won and how to truly get the most out of the next four years.

The election is over, and it is time to move on. It was a political season that consumed and divided us, but now it is our job to come together and unify our country. We have spent too much time tearing down those who vote Democrat, who vote Republican or who don’t vote at all. We filled our country with negativity, but now it is time to pivot and push our country towards unity and positivity.

I do not write this ignoring the fact that there will always be division of some sort in our country; even at a place like Harding, there is division among different denominations, different religious values, different political beliefs, etc., but that does not stop us from laying a hand on our brother and praying for him. We have the ability to set aside our differences because we understand that we belong to God before we ever belong to a country. We are Christians before we are Americans, and God can work regardless of who is in the Oval Office.

If you are wearing Make America Great Again merchandise this week, I urge you to accept the win with grace and humility. I beg you to understand that the differences we see in our country’s opinions, beliefs, culture and social standings are what already makes America great. I urge you to pray over your man, today and every day to follow during his administration.

If you were with her, I urge you to not be discouraged by this loss. Your voice was heard and respected, so keep using it to bridge the gap between our divided nation.