Marcus Aurelius led Rome from 161 to 180 A.D. and was noted for his shrewd wisdom and leadership. He led his empire through periods of war, plague, and the complexities of messy international and local politics while maintaining a steady hand on the tiller with leadership marked with integrity. He understood that “What we do now echoes in eternity.”

The foundation of good leadership is a person’s virtue and integrity. According to Aurelius, a leader’s primary duty is to be morally upright leading with fair justice as you exercise programs for the general welfare of your people. In other words, one’s personal character matters.

The 2024 presidential election is now upon us. How does one choose the one to vote for?

There are many issues facing our nation. The growing gap between the wealthy and everyone else. Illegal versus legal, just immigration. The climate and the decaying environment. Women’s reproductive rights. Wars in eastern Europe and the Middle East. There is the economy with accompanying supply chain issues. Our nation’s, crumbling infrastructure. The degradation of our system of a democratic republic. Rebuilding from natural disasters. The dangerous arc of Christian Nationalism. The challenges we face our legion.

So, how do I as a Christian determine who to vote for? What criteria should I use to pick a candidate? Do I base it on their positions on government, immigration, party affiliation, or economics? All of these are vital and important but not one of them is the measure I shall use to decide my vote. The only criteria that makes the most sense to me as a follower of Jesus is the measurement of the leader’s character.

It needs to be said that no one’s character is pure and spotless. Every one of us has issues or agendas we advance that are self-serving and beneficial to ourselves. Yet the true moral quality of a leader is his or her ability to see their deficiencies and act virtuously to both address and correct them.

A leader’s character impacts the ways he or she will negotiate the plethora of challenges that confront our nation. The leader’s moral character will not cause those economic, judicial, or healthcare challenges to disappear; his or her character will determine how those problems will be addressed and negotiated. Moral character determines how a leader makes wise and intelligent decisions grounded in virtue and integrity. People of faith should instinctively understand and embrace this position; it’s perplexing why many do not.

Character matters, particularly with those men and women entrusted with any form of leadership. At the very minimum, or national leaders should be able to pass the elementary smell test of Rotary international:

Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

A leader’s character is the trusted propulsion system that enables the various parts of the ship to run efficiently and with synchronicity. Beloved, this month, exercise your freedom to vote your conscience. Choose the candidate you believe has the character to run our great nation. God give us grace to have the moral character to respectfully respect the will of the people.