The answer
Obvious fact: politics divide people.
Less obvious fact: the solution doesn't involve politics.
Today, seemingly more than ever before, we are a nation divided. Battle lines are being drawn - in some cases literally - on the basis of Republican vs. Democrat, MAGA vs. Nevertrump, liberal vs. conservative, right vs. left. Bitter arguments ensue over who should be our president, or which lives matter.
I'm sure you have opinions on all of the above. I do too. But I'm less interested in sharing my opinions than I am in pointing us toward the solution to the real problem.
We don't solve the problem by being on the right side of an issue. We don't solve the problem by convincing others that they are wrong, or convincing ourselves that we are right. We don't solve the problem by insulting people we know, or by insulting people we don't know. We don't solve the problem by fighting, hurting or killing each other. We don't solve the problem by wearing a mask, or refusing to wear one. We don't even solve the problem by casting a vote.
Jesus has given us the answer for our problem. It's love.
Love is not something that you look for in other people, so that you can get angry when you don't find enough of it. Love is something we must look for in our own hearts. If there is a deficiency there, as is so often the case, our response must be humility and repentance rather than anger. Love is not a thing that we demand of others; it is a thing that we offer to them. This is the case even for Almighty God. As his word explains, We love because he first loved us.1
It tells us, also, that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.2 God loves people who don't deserve it, who haven't earned it, and who don't even appreciate it. If we want to see healing in our world, we'll have to do the same.
So love the people around you. Serve them. Smile at them. Encourage them. Listen to them. Pray for them.
Love the people who think like you do, and also the people who don't. Love the people who vote like you do, and also the people who don't. Love the people who look like you, and also the people who don't.
If we refuse to love in this way, it won't matter who wins this election, or the next one. It won't help to have more police, or fewer. Because the answer to our problem can't be found in the White House, or in the courthouse. In the end, it doesn't matter who sits in those places. Instead, ask yourself who sits on the throne of your heart.
If it's you, the world will always be a frightening place. If it's Jesus, you will always be at peace. And from that exalted position, he offers us a simple instruction:
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.3
Love can actually change our world for the better. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.