Now it’s time to work together.

Although at this editorial’s deadline, it was not known who would win the presidential election, one thing has been certain from the start: no matter who is chosen to lead this nation for the next four years, the time has come for all of us to put aside our differences and find a way to work together for the betterment of this country.

The future of our United States is dependent upon us acting like true Americans.

Nasty doesn’t even begin to characterize the kind of election this has been on both sides of the political spectrum. From Facebook and Twitter to the electoral spin on both biased and unbiased television news and entertainment channels, the bickering, the name-calling, the twisted truths and the outright lies have been intermingled, leaving a dark haze.

And most Americans are merely grasping for air and for this Election 2012 to be part of the history books.

But before we are Republican, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents or even unregistered, we are Americans, and as the dust settles on this election season, whether our candidate of choice won or lost, it is time to join forces to restore this country to what it once was — strong, moral, steeped in faith and open to all.

There’s enough blame to go around for what has happened to our country over the past few years, but blame does not, and cannot, resolve our problems. Working together can.

And that means from the White House to the governor’s mansion, from the state legislative building to the doorsteps of city hall, those charged with leading must lead first, setting aside differences to work alongside their fellow man, no matter their party, searching for ways to help America first rather than their party or themselves.

We, as citizens of this great country, share in the responsibility to set aside divisiveness to find some common ground with our neighbors in opposing parties, all for the betterment of the country we all live in and care for with all our hearts.

While we may have differences, when the dust settles, we are all more alike than we think, and it is in our resemblance to one another that we should be able to find the solid footing to rebuild this nation, restore our economy, look after our own and reach beyond our borders to help others in need when we’ve first taken care of those at our backdoor.

It is really true that united we stand, divided we will fall.

It is time for us to unite as Americans, leaving the election in the past and looking toward a future that can be brighter for us all if we all work together to make it so.

In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

It’s time we heed those words and stand together.