Finding Real Power on Capitol Hill (Hint: It’s Not Where You Think)

I had intended this article to be posted a couple of weeks ago, but with the political turmoil we’ve experienced as a result of the Mar-a-Lago raid, I wondered if it wasn’t addressing the realities of the moment we live in on the Hill these days. It seemed trite and passé to suggest that love was indeed powerful. Put another way,  I just wasn’t feeling it. 

At the time, I wanted to explore what the genuine manifestation of God’s love looked like and how that empowers us to live in and overcome the difficult times. After reflection, I concluded that if it was a true word then, it is certainly so today and every day. After all, these are eternal truths meant to meet us here and now. So here goes:

Power in Washington is like wealth is to New York City, or fame to Hollywood. However, as odd as it may seem, Washington isn’t the center of power, as many might think. In fact, it might be the opposite. Look at Washington’s powerlessness to cure our nation’s ills or those of the world around us, let alone the power of an individual member or staffer to do so.

Beyond the Beltway, the average American thinks an individual senator or representative possesses inordinate power and authority. Look no further than their portrayal in entertainment as singularly capable of things well beyond anything in reality, to say nothing of their constitutional authority.

It’s difficult for someone who works on the Hill to swallow the hyperbole when watching a TV series or movie allegedly depicting the place where they work. Sure, there are plenty of egos and lots of self aggrandizement, but the power portrayed rarely hits the mark. If it’s not overrated power, then it’s replete with buffoonery, corruption, and sexual scandal.  Not exactly the inspiration you need to go to work the next day.

So, what’s to be done about this power vacuum and why is this relevant today and on Capitol Hill in particular? This is important because everyone is searching for a cure to their own personal powerlessness. What can fill this power void?

When we think of power in the human sense, strong images come to mind: forces of nature, man-made weapons and devices, expansive nations and ambitious leaders.

But consider the vastly more powerful force that has changed the direction of human history. It’s quiet, understated, yet undeniable in its effectiveness.  In fact, it’s so underrated that we naturally turn to imitations instead of the genuine article.

In a world consumed by the wielding of and use of powerful forces, it’s hard to imagine this being the greatest of all. Yet, the greatest of these is love. Paul puts it beautifully, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13

And yet, this love is not passive by any means. It is not always an outward expression of our love for others that gives us the moral authority we long for. More often than not, it is receiving and believing in God‘s love for us. This then allows us to stand firm in our beliefs and convictions, even when those around us criticize, question and even persecute.

Being Salt and Light:

This is a love that empowers us to be the salt and light that Jesus called us to be. It allows us to stand against the tide of opposition and demands our focus on Jesus as if we were walking to him upon the stormy seas.

This love is powerful enough to cast out fear. And the apostle Paul goes so far as to say that God gives us not a spirit of fear but of power, and love, and a sound mind. This power is rooted in God‘s love for us and that love flows through us to others.

Once we believe this to the core of our being, fear no longer reigns in our lives, and even our thinking becomes reasoned and sound. How often, when we become fearful, we act impulsively, unreasonably, and often irrationally. Putting on God’s love reverses this.

Instead, we are patient, reasoned, and act with a rational mind. So, we find this at work in the protective nature of God’s love — “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate …” — 1 Thessalonians 5:8

And each morning as we “clothe ourselves,”  this is the outward expression of God’s love. “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” — Colossians 3:14

And at the heart of it is the inward expression of God’s love for us … “Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.” — Psalm 33:22

May this typify your day today and tomorrow. You’ll be surprised by the “power” you’ll wield, on the Hill and elsewhere.