One of the most powerful and stirring Christian hymns is “It Is Well With My Soul” written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford, who was a husband, father, lawyer, and property investor from Chicago. Upon hearing his story, some may consider him one of the unluckiest men of his time. Before going further please take a moment to read the lyrics and listen to the song.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul

The incredible power of this hymn is undeniable. It strikes a chord with believers and unbelievers alike. It is all the more powerful when considered in the context of its authorship.

Horatio Spafford lost his only son in 1871 to scarlet fever. A few months later he lost his business and property investments in the Great Chicago Fire. Two years later in November 1873, Spafford was to vacation in Europe with his wife and four daughters. Last minute business delayed him and he sent his family on ahead with the promise that he would follow shortly thereafter. During the voyage across the Atlantic, the ship carrying Spafford’s family was struck by another ship and sank in 12 minutes causing 226 deaths including those of his four daughters. After being rescued and reaching land, Spafford’s wife Anna sent him a cable saying “Saved Alone. What Shall I Do?” Spafford dropped everything and left for Europe to be with his wife.

While en route to Europe the captain of the ship Spafford sailed on summoned Spafford to tell him that they were at or near the place where his family had been shipwrecked. It was at that place and under those circumstances, having lost nearly everything he loved and in the place of his daughters’ horrific final moments, that he wrote “It Is Well With My Soul.”

This response to tragedy should challenge and inspire all of us. It should cause us to consider how we respond to the vicissitudes of life, be they big or small. Yesterday at church we sang that hymn and it got me thinking about my response to the upcoming elections.

Like many of you, I am deeply disappointed in the choice we face this presidential election. I have been, and remain, in the #NeverHillary camp because I believe that the damage she will do to our country if elected will be incalculable and enduring. I also realize that even if she is defeated we may not necessarily end up in a lot better shape. If we lose we lose, but if we win we may yet lose. It’s a terrible position to be in and in many ways it is dispiriting.

But to be dispirited by the outcome of an election, no matter how troubling it may be, is a short-sighted response for those of us who are believers. We are told in Philippians that “We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” We are encouraged in II Corinthians that “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.” Electoral outcomes certainly effect us but we must be able to look beyond the elections to the eternal. It is our hope in the eternal home of our true citizenship that we find the courage to declare “It is well with my soul.”

One of the worst aspects of this election for me has been to see how it has divided us. I know people who have cut off long-term friendships because of who the other person was voting for. The Republican Party is divided. Families are divided. The Church is divided. Hot takes on social media drive already inflamed passions to new heights when the slightest offense seems like a personal attack that requires a response and leads to an escalating meme war that leaves people bruised, angry, and abandoning real-life relationships. I have experienced this first-hand and I am sure most of you have as well. I have a friend of 10 years who openly calls me a bigot because I think school boys shouldn’t be using girls’ locker rooms.

The saddest part of this whole dynamic may be that not only are we abandoning relationships over presidential preferences, we are abandoning relationships over Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who may be the most unworthy people in America over whom to break up a friendship.

What if we could do something to help heal the divisions? What if we could do something to ratchet the rhetoric down from eleventy? What if we could help spark a movement to remind people that there is more to life than the outcome of presidential elections and that our families, friendships, communities, and houses of worship are more important than our politics?

Some may think it trite and merely symbolic, but I have decided that no matter which way the presidential race goes and no matter who ends up controlling the House and Senate, my one and only comment on Wednesday, Nov. 9, will be to declare “It is well with my soul.” On social media I will post that declaration along with a link to the hymn and the hashtag #ItIsWellWednesday. I will make my declaration and I will do my best to live it out.

I believe that if a groundswell of people, both in the church and out of it, will grab hold of this sentiment and make the same declaration we can help begin to heal the wounds this election has delivered to our nation. You don’t have to be a Christian to share in the sentiment and make the declaration. You only need to believe and declare that the condition of your soul is not set by electoral outcomes. I hope you will join me by declaring on Wednesday “It is well with my soul” regardless of your feelings of Tuesday’s election results. If a significant number of fellow patriots join the chorus we may yet, as Lincoln hoped in 1861, “be touched by the better angels of our nature” and save the nation from “break(ing) our bonds of affection.”