Now that we have moved on from the transition to President Biden from ex-President Trump, I thought to ask my wife Louise, a Christian like me, what advice she would have for Mr. Trump as he moves into another cycle of his life.
My own advice would be simple: get over it Dude and play a little golf down in your place in Florida to put some space and time between the last four years and now. Be graceful. Write your memoirs. Include your son and your wife in your life. Focus on others, not yourself. Think of humility before swagger. And I have a lot of other advice.
But while I read and study Scripture often, Louise is embraced by Jesus and knows him so much more personally than I.
So, I asked her: if the ex-Prez calls us to ask for advice: what would you tell him? And here’s what she said.
“We expect a lot from a man who was just born again a couple of years ago. He was thrown into a situation that would have eaten the most mature of Christians’ dinner in a heartbeat.”
“For four years he endured criticism in everything he practically said and did.”
“I have never felt so much sadness and pain for any President in that office than I did for President Trump. We may not like the things he may have said and done, but before you start to tear him apart like a pack of wolves you better remove the log in your own eye before you start taking the speck out of his eye.”
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
“Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery that whosever has not sinned, let him throw the first stone. He forgave her and then told her to go and sin no more.”
“As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:3-11)
“We have sent this man to do battle for us but very few have been willing to stand with him to the end. Yes, I know he said some things, but you must remember that he is not a mature Christian, sitting and reading and studying God’s word for the last forty years.”
“The point I’m making is we need to heal from the top down. We need to pray and help this man get past his hurts. The things that have been done to him have a taken a tremendous toll on him spiritually, emotionally and mentally.”
“There’s an old Indian saying that you need to walk in another man’s moccasins before you start judging him. President Trump needs to heal. He can only do it by spending time with his Father God in prayer, accept the love of fellow Christians and of your heavenly father, and by studying the Word.”
“My advice would be to go to God, go to your Father, seek him first, He knows you better than you know yourself and let him love on you and heal you as only He can. Forgive those that have hurt you. Put yesterday in the past, seek God’s face and let God take care of tomorrow.”
To which I add, amen.
And a few final words from Scripture to help the ex-President move from hatred to forgiveness, and peace with God.
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Mathew 6:14-15) and “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
Posted as “For Trump, leaving office offers opportunity for healing” in The Tuscaloosa News,” Sunday Jan. 24, 2021.
Posted on January 31, 2021
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