I picked up my mail after the elections, and it was so light that I could grab the entire contents with a single hand. Of course – the campaign ads are missing! Whether you were highly involved in the political season, or totally disinterested, the lawn signs and television commercials and phone calls and full mailboxes and door-to-door visitors cried out “pay attention to me, don’t listen to them, I’ll help you make the right choice.”
Influence, that is the prize in all of the hustle and bustle of the political season. Move people to agree with you, vote for you, volunteer for you, believe in you.
Over the course of this particular campaign we watched different candidates at various levels try to influence us. We heard their messages. A Stronger America. Time For a Change. Leadership Matters.
Just for fun, let’s consider what our “campaign slogans” would be if we were running for four more years of being our spouse’s mate.
What would I say to influence my spouse to believe in me enough to choose me again? (I hope it’s not Time for a Change!) What would your slogan be? Whatever, in a surrendered resignation to a status quo that feels dull and lifeless? Or would it read Time for Growth with a vision toward stretching your marriage – to live life more fully, to become more of who you were created to be?
Some will find the idea of “winning your spouse” uncomfortable, or even dangerous. “Isn’t marriage supposed to be for a lifetime?” Yes, it is. But when we take our spouses for granted, we lose out on what can be a life-giving experience unlike any other adult relationship. “Aren’t you opening people up to think about what might be missing in their relationship?” Yes, I admit that can be risky. But I believe that building a vision is the first step in having the marriage you have always wanted. Your campaign slogan can help you celebrate your marriage, inspire others to pursue authentic love, and create healthy marriage communities. Imagine driving down the road seeing yard signs that read Love and Respect Live Here, Happy Family, Fighting for Our Marriage, Leading the World with Love – wouldn’t that be exciting?! The impact these words could have on your journey is undeniable.
When Muhammad Ali declared to the world “I am the greatest” he set for himself an irreversible course. In the face of fighting machines, men who had trained their entire lives in the art of displacing consciousness with pain, Ali had the audacity to say “I am better than you.” His claim has been tested often, and he has even been beaten a couple of times, but his words set the course for his life and he graciously lives up to them to this day.
In the same way, it takes courage to declare our campaign slogans. We will be tested. We will lose at times. But more importantly, we step toward growth and purpose, and awaken areas of our hearts that are essential in building the life-giving marriages we have always wanted.
I’m still pondering my campaign slogan. I think I’ll go with Authentic Living. Passionate Loving. No New Taxes. I’ll let you know next month if these get me re-elected!
What would your campaign slogan be?
