There's been an ongoing discussion for a quite a few years in our house between my husband and I. The discussion has been centered around the issue of "love others." I have been very open about my faith. I am a Christian. I am not ashamed to state that I am a God follower.
But, and I am being completely honest here, there are times that I cringe when I hear/see/read what is sometimes done in the name of Christianity. Unkind, unloving words or acts against others just don't sit well with me. And, in the spirit of being truthful, I have sometimes caught myself behaving in such a way towards others, self righteously secure in my knowledge that I am right.
This concept of loving others is both a simple and complex issue. Oh, I've heard all my life the saying "love the person, hate the sin." But what does that really mean? How do you do that? Then there are the labels that are put on people. If you aren't vocal enough about a certain issue you are deemed "Not spiritual. A sell out. Luke Warm (oh that's a big one). A heretic. A trouble maker. A rebel. A baby Christian. Conformist. Radical. Ignorant." Wow! That's quite a list.
So, here are my thoughts on the "love others" issue. Now, I have stated many times that I am not a minister or a theologian. I do not have everything figured out. In some areas I'm still a mess. Truthfully, I do not feel like I have the brains or knowledge base to even debate some of the "hot" issues. I also do not have the desire to argue or debate those issues. I am not devaluing all of those issues. And yet, for me, I may not place a high value on some of those issues. I am just choosing to place the value of loving others higher in order of importance.
So what do I mean by that? I mean that I am choosing to love the person regardless of their political affiliation, beliefs, lifestyle, etc.... I am choosing to love first, not judge first. I use the word "choosing" deliberately. Sometimes this choice is harder than others. I do not want you to think that this is an easy thing to do. I often fail. But I am going to keep on trying. And, this can sometimes be uncomfortable for me because it forces me to work at getting to know the "real" person inside, not just the superficial.
This hasn't been an overnight revelation for me. It's been years in the making. I've had numerous discussions with my husband and others on the subject. I'm sure that my version of what "loving others" looks like, sounds like, and acts like will continue to evolve. I look at my own experience with God. He didn't base his love for me on who I voted for, how I behaved, or even what I believed at the time. He just simply, fully, and completely loved me first. And it's that love; not criticism, not guilt, not shame, that caused me to respond.
So for me, my one and only job, is to show others love. Period. As the saying goes, the rest will sort itself out in the wash. I know this is a simplistic view. I am ok with that. I am not a person who enjoys vastly complex systems of rules and regulation. I don't have the time or energy to even deal with all of that. I am also aware that there are those who will try to get me to change this, who will vehemently disagree with me. I know. But I am at peace with my one job. I guess, for some, I may not be radical enough.....
I rarely do this in my blog. But if you are reading this and are feeling unloved, I want you to know that you are loved! Greatly loved! Dearly loved! You are loved by this flawed human writing a small blog. And you are Awesomely loved by God. Have a great Friday!
So, I thought since I was talking about love, I would post a few photos of some of the things I love. My family, the ocean, and traveling.
No comments:
Post a Comment