As Christians, our lives are a quest. We are on a mission to find our purpose on earth--to live out our lives according to God's will and grand plan for our lives. We read the Bible and pray and worship and attend church and participate in philanthropy and ask for forgiveness. In so doing, we take pride in our good works and hope that we live lives pleasing enough to God to get us into heaven.
How often, though, do we stop doing and going and moving and simply love?
It's called The Golden Rule for a reason, right? We are called to love our neighbors as we would have them love us. We are called to treat others with the utmost respect and fairness. We are called not to judge or out-do or berate or belittle...simply to love.
We love our families, children, friends, pets, and mentors. Why, then, is it so hard for us to love strangers, criminals, liars, the homeless, homosexuals, the terminally ill, people of other races?
Jesus loves EVERYONE. Ceaselessly. Unconditionally.
Here's my take on this bizarre feat of human neglect for others. We fear that which we do not understand; therefore, we preach at, judge, and spew forth our ignorance.
(Yes, I will say "we." I am not infallible--it happens to each of us, being that we're human and all.)
The truth is, if we are judging, we are not loving. If we are condemning, neglecting, mocking, and otherwise showing disdain, we are not loving.
If you need a good read on human hypocrisy and the absence of love in the presence of ill will, read 1 John. I dare you. Go ahead: dust off that Bible. It's in the New Testament, right after 2 Peter.
Want a sample? Check out chapter 2, verses 9-11:
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Seriously, this whole book is golden. It contains some of my favorite words in the entire Bible.
If you think you're doing good by spewing verse at someone who practices a different lifestyle or has different morals than you, you might consider this: is that action truly fulfilling your Christian obligation to love, forgive, and accept...or are you fulfilling a purely human and self-created obligation to try to share a very pinpointed belief with someone, and in so doing, potentially pushing that person further from Christ, further from feeling loved and accepted, and further from ever living in The Light?
I personally don't feel it is my duty to condemn another for how he or she was created. Just as I was born with a congenital skull deformity, so are homosexuals, for example, born with a propensity toward others of the same gender. (Disclaimer: no, I am NOT comparing homosexuality to a defect or illness; I'm simply pointing out my belief that all people are created exactly as God intended them to be.)
Hear me. Let us walk with love in our hearts. Let our actions show our true tenderness towards all people. Let us learn to embrace, rather than fear, that which we do not understand. Let us preach the good news that God will forgive anyone of his or her sins if they only ask; let us not, instead, put others down or push them away. Let us hold our tongues from judgment and listen to those around us. Dear Lord, help us eat, breathe, sleep, speak, and be love.
For me, true love and compassion for others is what this quest is really all about. I will continue to pray for my ability to embody that love.
More later.
-Kels
Oh, Kels. How I love you for this blog.
ReplyDeleteI feel much the same way that you do. I have always felt that while others may live their lives in a way that I don’t agree with based on my morals and beliefs, it’s not my place to judge. Rather, it’s my place to accept them and love them unconditionally. I believe that is what Jesus did and what he would want me to do.
This is why I love my church. I have found the most magnificent church. They are often criticized because they accept anyone and everyone. When you come into my church on Sunday, you will see all races, all ethnicities, all sexual orientations, all ages, etc. It’s such an amazing sight. My pastor has come under fire in the past because he openly accepts and encourages anyone to attend and join our church. I think that is the most wonderful thing of all. I have felt at home, and welcome there, since day one.
As soon as you walk into my church, the first thing you see is the vision, or mission statement, if you will. My pastor says he accepts anyone at our church because it is our place, not to condemn, but to REACH those that do not know our Lord, TEACH them about the Jesus’ love, and RELEASE them back out into the world to tell others of him. Reach. Teach. Release. I think this is such an amazing concept.
I believe God loves all of us, regardless of any sin. I also believe that no one sin is greater than another, and that you will be forgiven if you will only just ask.
I will leave you with one of my favorite stories from the Bible (and I am just reading it for the first time, so I don’t know that many). It is from John, Chapter 8.
8 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Your church sounds AWESOME! I'm so glad you've found a place you love. I always struggle to find a church that's a good fit for me. I've moved so much that I hate to say I've kind of given up on finding a good church for now. I hope that once we settle somewhere one day, I will be able to find a great place for us to worship! I hope I'm not too picky for that to ever happen...
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