I remember cheering for a turtle race in middle school. There were three or four turtles, each distinguished with a small spot of blue, red, yellow, or green paint. We cheered for the turtles as they “raced” to the finish line. The winners celebrated, the rest of us deflated a little as our champion turtles came in second to last. The turtles themselves were all probably oblivious to us or confused. What did “winning” the turtle race actually mean?

Sometimes elections can look like a turtle race. Winners celebrate. Losers deflate. But at the end of the day, what does “winning” really mean? What does “losing” really mean? That our turtle made it across the finish line first or last? It certainly means more, but how much more and in what ways?

The Bible is pretty clear about  how much we should care about the “turtle race”.  Psalm 146 reminds us, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help…” Instead, “our help in the Name of the LORD who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 124) Your turtle might have won or lost, but that is not where your trust should be placed.

The Bible also mentions that earthly authorities are there because of God, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God.” (Romans 13) Keep in mind that God uses different rulers in different ways throughout the Old and New Testaments, but that they are all given authority by God. We are to be “subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Peter 2)

When the turtle race was over in my class, we got back to our tasks at hand – reading, doing math, filling out worksheets, etc. While the turtle race felt meaningful, it wasn’t what we were charged to do. It really didn’t have much to do with our mission. Let us not forget that we as Christians are given a charge to be the Kingdom of God in this place – a “political” reality that puts all earthly politics where they belong, beneath the feet of Jesus.

We are charged with spreading the Gospel. We are charged with taking care of the oppressed and disadvantaged. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is our work. This is not a turtle race. It is the lasting work of the Kingdom that claims our ultimate allegiance, the Kingdom of God that we are a part of because of the grace of Christ.

So the race is ours now, as the author of Hebrews says in chapter 12, “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (not the race that is set before the turtles).