A few years back I received a book as a gift. As I read the title, “Pastors are People Too” I chuckled. My thought was, “Do people think pastors are some sort of automatons or robots?” One can quickly find the pastor’s wife or pastor’s kids to speedily discover the humanity of a pastor. This idea extends to everyone. Sometimes I daydream as I people-watch in a crowded room, “What experiences has that person lived through? What motivates that person?” I’ve enjoyed my long-term goal of reading a biography of every United States president. The best biographies leave you with a sense that you really know that individual well and understand his or her humanity. After recently finishing a biography of George Washington, I appreciated how the author gave readers a sense of how Washington handled his not-so-perfect personal finances.

Politicians are people too. This past year I got a chance to meet with government officials from my state in Minnesota at our Capitol. I joined other pastors and a ministry organization that seeks to meet regularly with state representatives and senators to build relationships with them, share Scripture, and pray. It felt somewhat surreal to be sitting in the offices of these individuals that I’ve seen on video, read about in articles, voted for or against, and have on my prayer list. The leader of the ministry asked one politician about a situation with his child back home. “How is your wife doing?” he asked as he built upon the previous conversation with this government official. We were essentially doing normal pastoral visitation with these politicians. It really helped me humanize them in my mind.

Most people tend to villainize or idolize politicians. It would be good to remind ourselves periodically about the humanity of these individuals. They have personal struggles. They have specific prayer needs (even if they don’t see or admit they do). I challenge you, as you live simultaneously in God’s two realms and interact with ideas and people, to ask yourself this question next time you talk about politicians: “Would I say this comment in that manner in that person’s face if he or she were present?” And yes, there are many topics that lead to earnest disagreement and perhaps heated argument. But that can and should be done respectfully. After all, politicians are people too. 1 Peter 2:17 exhorts us to “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”