"yes we can."

if you stayed up late enough last night watching election coverage, you certainly saw president-elect barack obama's inspiring "yes we can" speech. if not, i have no doubt you've already seen it this morning on youtube. it is the top featured video on the site. not surprising.

i have been mulling over how to feel about this new, charismatic leader of our country. i don't have a feeling of certain doom for america over his election, but i do strongly disagree with many beliefs, plans and circumstances surrounding it. with my extremely small knowledge of politics and government, i can't begin to wrap my head around any predictions -- good or bad.

there are a few things i do know, however. and in the spirit of obama himself, i present them to you.

• "yes we can" pray for our president.
• "yes we can" respect our president.
• "yes we can" defend our president.
  
• "yes we can" believe the best about our president.
• "yes we can" be confident that God is still in control.

in recent months, i've had several conversations about just how nasty people have gotten about president bush. blatant disrespect and mistreatment of his name has run rampant. the president of the united states is the most powerful man in the world. he leads our country, the greatest country of all. God knew barack obama was going to lead our country before the foundation of the earth and in His word, He calls us to pray for and support our leaders. are we going to be the same as the bush bashers when the tables are turned? those people who have no doubt hurt him and his family? those people we were so disgusted with?

not a single one of us can claim to know the pressure and complexity of leading a country.

all i know to do is to pray and love. i refuse to be lumped with those "crazy christians" who run and hide and shut out the world, holding 24-hour prayer vigils for our certain destruction. our destruction may be certain. but i'm going down as one who continued to strive to reach out, figuratively and literally, to one-and-all.

it might get difficult, but i plan to take the high road.

so congratulations, president-elect obama.

"yes we can."