I have prayed for Trump every day of his presidency. I’m still praying for him

As America waits for President Trump to do the gentlemanly thing and congratulate President-elect Joe Biden as our next president, Trump acts like a spoiled child after his team lost a Little League baseball game.

He cried “fraud’’ even though there is no evidence supporting that contention. In fact, The New York Times contacted the offices of the top election officials in all 50 states on Monday and Tuesday after the election. The officials, made up of Republicans and Democrats, said “there was no evidence that fraud or other irregularities played a role in the outcome of the presidential race,” the Times reported.

Actually, my heart goes out to Trump. I don’t see this as a time for gloating and boasting. I see the president as a broken man, a crushed leader who couldn’t believe there are enough people in this country who still believe in decency and would vote him out of the White House. (Biden beat Trump in the popular vote by more than 5 million, as of Thursday’s count.)

Like many Americans, I became a Trump Watcher early on, ever since he announced his candidacy for the highest office in the land. I was curious about him.

He was a TV reality star and a man who spent millions of dollars trying to prove that President Obama was not an American, and, therefore, should not be president. He mocked Obama fiercely, even after he learned his efforts simply resulted in time wasted. Yet, he carried his obsession with Obama all the way into the White House.

I have always thought that the person running for the president of the United States of America should exhibit qualities of integrity. But elections, especially presidential elections, seem to bring out the worst in some people.

Harsh words spill out of the mouths of some candidates, like salt poured on open wounds. Homes become divided; friendships lost. There must be a better way to do this election thing.

First and foremost, the person seeking the country’s highest office should not be a scoffer. He or she should be a person for the people, not a bully. In my opinion, this person should possess a heart of compassion and empathy.

Campaign rallies

But as support for his candidacy grew, Trump grew too — in the wrong way. I can still see him at his campaign rallies leaning confidently on the podium as words of division spilled from his mouth. His lack of respect for women and others seemed to get worse as he was egged on by White Supremacists and other hateful groups. They fed his hateful appetite.

What was even worse was that some people who say they are Christians supported his unruly actions. They never called him out when he openly mocked a handicapped reporter or said vile things about women, words that were caught on tape. Or said things like being able to walk down New York‘s Fifth Avenue, shoot someone and still be elected president.

And then there was the spiteful and undignified name-calling of his opponents (remember Crooked Hillary? Sleepy Joe?). Not to mention his tarnished personal lifestyle, leading to three marriages and his niece, Mary Trump, suing him earlier this year, alleging he and his siblings committed fraud to prevent her from getting her share of the Trump family business.

No, I never thought America would elect such a person to lead our country. I was wrong.

As a person who believes in the teaching of Jesus Christ, I cannot understand the actions of some people who say they love the Lord as I do, but condone Trump.

Don‘t misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christians should not love Trump. I am saying they should have the holy boldness to tell Trump when he is wrong.

Instead, Trump often is an unruly child whose parents can see no wrong in him. A good parent, or a real friend, would want Trump to be a better person. It’s what good friends and good parents do.

You ask me how I know some of them didn’t tell him the truth? Because he didn’t fire them. While none of us expected Trump to be an angel, some of us did think that he would uphold the dignity of the nation’s highest office. We shouldn’t have been surprised when he didn’t.

The late Maya Angelou once said, “... When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Trump showed us; we didn’t believe him.

Praying for Trump

Before some of you start calling me names because of my opinion, let me tell you that I don’t know a day of Trump’s presidency that I haven’t prayed earnestly for him and for his family. When he was elected the president of the United States of America, that meant he was my president, too.

I wanted him to be safe and successful — a good president for all the people. I wanted him to stand against those who would divide us.

So, you see, when our president made hateful statements, took sides with unsavory characters or acted in an unpresidential way, I asked the Lord to show him his unruly ways. I asked the Lord to prick his heart so he could understand how to lead the people of the free world. I prayed for the Lord to soften his heart, to help him have compassion for the people whom he was called to serve.

Today, the election to choose the 46th president of the United States of America is behind us. I am still praying for Trump. As a believer, I know the Lord doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want them answered.

The Bible tells us that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. So, in God’s own time....

Meanwhile, I have added to my prayer list President-elect Joe Biden and his family, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her family and all who will lead this country for the next four years.

I am still praying for healing for Trump. Losing the presidency was a mammoth blow to him and he has come to a fork in his life’s road. He can take the low road that will lead to the further division of America, or he can take the high road, be a gentleman and help to bring America together again.

My prayer is that he will take the high road.