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There is nothing more frustrating than getting into a political discussion that devolves into an uncomfortable argument. Tempers may flare, unkind words may be uttered, and relationships may even crumble because of it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
“The left has great messaging and horrible policies,” Tennessee-based Diane Canada told Write Revolution News. “…We have great policies and horrible messaging.”
Canada is the founder and host of Lady Up, America, a podcast that is changing the conversation around civic involvement and everyday faith for women in the United States. She’s also the author of Lady Up, America: Training Christian Moms For The Toughest Spiritual Battleground of our Lifetime.
She’s a speaker, a television commentator, and she’s got a heart for equipping women how to face the “spiritual battleground” during these tumultuous times in our nation’s history.
“The inspiration for Lady Up, America was pain,” she said. “I ran for the State House of Representatives in 2020 and it was a God-call on my life…I went kicking and screaming, I always saw politics as just a cesspool.”
Canada said she was unprepared to handle the vicious nature of politics. “It was like a firing wall,” she said. “…I just didn’t know how to handle it.”
During her campaign, she lost friendships – and even the relationship with her adult son, who vocally divested from his mother’s conservative campaign values during her political stint, much to Canada’s chagrin.
The attacks and the chaotic nature of politics reached a “boiling point,” she said.
“I just gave in to my emotions and pulled the mom card out and I just scolded him, and for that he has canceled me from his life for nearly four years,” she explained.
Now, years later, Canada has newfound perspective – and wisdom – about her time running for office in the Nashville vicinity.
“When you give into emotion and you don’t have the tools on how to handle these really impossibly hard conversations, then you lose those relationships – you lose proximity to those people and now you have no ability to influence them anymore,” she said.
Today, Canada has turned her lemons into lemonade. She has taken her hard-won lessons from the brutal battlefield of politics and applied them to Lady Up, America, where she teaches other women how to be emotionally prepared to face the spiritual battles in everyday life.
“These are cultural and spiritual battles, they are not political battles, and so no election is going to fix what’s ailing us as a country,” she said.
Rather than grandstanding or arguing, she reiterated the importance of genuinely “winning people back to our values.” What values are those? The faith-based principles instilled in our country since its conception.
Since God’s removal from school, culture, and government, she said, the country has rapidly degraded.
Now, when Canada has a disagreement with someone, “Instead of being angry, what I do is I pray over them, ‘They’re just blind, Lord, help them see,’” she shared.
She emphasized the importance of compassion over heightened emotions, and recognizing the “intrinsic value” God has placed on everyone’s life – even those who deeply disagree with us.
“We have to be walking out the fruit of the spirit,” she said.
Through her platform, Canada speaks to women, hosts workshops, and offers a virtual book club where she is personally available to help women work through her book and learn about melding civic involvement and spiritual warfare together.
“We’ve got to get our moral courage,” she added, especially when it comes to women.
Women – particularly Christians – tend to distance themselves from political involvement. This trend is alarming, because legislative policy and leadership molds moral laws on the state and federal level.
According to recent research, as many as 104 million people of faith will not cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election. This is a truly alarming number. Many of those absent voters are women.
Canada says its women’s community-minded nature that deters them from speaking up and getting involved in the American republic.
“We are community minded and we don’t want to be ostracized from our friend groups, we don’t want to be caught doing things or saying things that can be ostracized,” she said.
This is where outstanding messaging and winning dialogue comes into play. No fear-mongering. No shouting matches. Just good, solid, logic and well-articulated facts.
Canada noted the importance of creating a long-term voting bloc among conservatives. “We don’t want just trendy voters, we don’t want pain-point voters,” she remarked. “[We want] lifelong voters.”
And, although she stated that the results of the 2024 election wouldn’t change the heart of our culture – society requires a much more holistic solution than that – it’s a good start.
“Sitting home this election cycle is not an option if you’re a Christian,” she said.
Encouragingly, Canada also had some words of advice for dealing with the anxiety of election season. “This election, one way or the other, is no surprise to God,” she shared.
And there is peace in that. “This election is not on our shoulders,” she stated.
While the world around us may twirl through the smoke and mirrors of bloodthirsty political games, Canada’s message is integral.
“We have to lead with compassion but we also have to lead with stability,” she said.
Photos: Courtesy of Diane Canada
Connect with Diane Canada:
Her official WEBSITE is the best hub to connect with Lady Up, America. You can watch her tri-weekly podcast, which often features special guests and engaging conversations about civic responsibility and faith.
Also find her podcast on Spotify, iHeartRadio and Salem Media.
Follow Diane on X.
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