I want to talk about newsworthy hateful
comments.
Believe me, I am the last person I imagined
to be blogging about news items, politics, or even anything related to current
events. My college years consumed me with these items that I had little
interest in. Yes, I keep up with what’s going on around me, but I have never
been one to write about it or comment. But I am sad.
I almost said mad, but that’s not quite
right. I am sad and here is why:
If you have been keeping up with the news
or even have a Facebook page, you will have heard plenty about homophobic slurs
spray painted on houses, arguments over Bill c-18, and more recently, a restaurant in Morris shutting down due to
homophobic comments made by some people in the town. This is terrible.
In no way am I writing to express my opinions
on homosexuality, (or any other minorities for that matter) or stating anything
argumentative on one side or the other. That is not how I roll, and it is not
how I feel any great change is accomplished. What I want to write about is LOVE.
Now these recent events are not in any way
directed to Christians by having the finger pointed at us. But let’s be serious
about our reputation. It’s not great. I
am speaking very generally here, but I think it’s fair to say that the
perception on Christianity is not always one of great acceptance. I’m trying to
be careful how I word this, because I am not talking about differences of
opinions, taking a stand for what you believe, or the way you choose to live. I
am talking about how we as Christians, who have the intense love of Jesus in
our hearts, don’t always seem to grasp the concept of loving people who are
different than us.
I watched the short documentary “Furious
Love” yesterday, and it spoke so deeply to me. I won’t go into detail, but it
follows different people who have gone into some pretty intense places and just
simply loved people. Some of the pastors
who were interviewed said things to the effect of, “If Christians simply
learned to love the rest of the world, we would see a lot more change.”
Though it can be quite challenging to
really love someone with different value sets than you, it is the only way we
can truly live the way we were called to. Love does NOT equal agreement,
convincing, or arguing.
“A new commandment
I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also
are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
We are to love others, JUST AS HE HAS
LOVED US! I don’t know about your story of grace, but God has loved me through
a heck of a lot that I have never deserved. God and I may not even agree all
the time. But He sure does love me in a way I can hardly describe, and nothing
will ever change that. And believe it or not, we are called to love in the same
way.
I don’t just want to refer to
homosexuality, but rather anyone and everyone we are reluctant to share our
love with. People. Not belief systems, but people. Jesus loves people,
regardless of, well, anything. But what does this look like for us?
For one, it means not making hateful or
ignorant comments, spray painting houses, or attacking people groups. This in
no way shows our hearts of love.
What it simply means is treating every
single person we meet with respect, kindness, patience, and grace. It’s taking
time for others, listening to them and asking questions, caring for needs,
showing appreciation, and leaving judgements at the door. There are so many
people desperately in need of love, and we should be the ones to spread it.
Genuine love is the one thing that no
one can argue with. Let it be your weapon of choice.
