We Start With Love

I am so tired today.

No, not tired actually.

I’m bone-deep, dog-tired weary.

My head hurts and my heart hurts and I just want to scream - “STOP IT!”

Like so many of you, everywhere I turn on tv, print media or social media these past
few days, I’ve been bombarded with the immigration story.
It dominates everyone’s news feed and virtually no one lacks an opinion.
And I’ve been taken aback by how hateful and judgmental and
disrespectful people have been to each other because they don’t agree.
I’m not sure, but I feel like this is worse than it was during the election cycle of 2016.

Over the past few days as the vitriol gets louder and is spewed higher and farther,
I’ve read so many barbed comments and un-loving words shared in the interest of
“educating” or “providing insight”.
And I’m not talking about celebrities or the pundits and talking heads.

I could care less what they think most days - their words don’t have the power to
affect my life in the slightest.

It’s the Pastors and leaders in the faith that I look up to, the people I call friends,
the people whose opinion I value - most of them fellow Christians - that have surprised
and dismayed me most.

I’ve read that you can’t be a “Christian” if you hate “what’s happening” yet still want to
see the law upheld.

I’ve read that the Bible is being misused, misconstrued and misrepresented by Christians who
simply don’t understand it.

I’ve read that you can’t be a “Christian” if you identify with a political party (either side).

I’ve read that if you support the government you are like a nazi.

Can we just stop?

What part of “they’ll know we are Christians by our love” don’t we understand?

What happened to “Love God, love people”?

Or do we now only love ‘those’ people? (whoever that might be but it’s definitely
not your fellow Christian you’re ‘calling out’)

You know, I get it.

I really do.

You’re upset and disturbed and heart-broken by the seemingly endless news-cycles
piling on and on and on - story after story, photo after gut-wrenching photo.

We’re all upset by it. To not be upset by it would indicate that we don’t have a heart.

That’s another accusation Christians have been slinging around lately.

Really?

Shouldn’t we be better than this?

We Christians should be the last ones to ‘assume’ anything about each other.

The one thing we all have in common (Christian and non-Christian alike) is sin.

The one thing all Christians have in common is Jesus.

We will never all agree on anything except that.

Jesus, and our faith in him, is The ONE thing that should unify us.

And he is THE most important thing.

So, isn’t it time that we put aside our ugly words and hateful, condescending hearts and
judgmental thoughts and remember to first LOVE each other?

All of this shade we’re throwing at each other is exactly what the enemy wants us to
be doing and he’s pretty darn happy with his work right now.

That’s nothing for us to be proud of - in fact, we need to be running from it as far and as
fast as we can.

I personally don’t care what your opinion is of this issue;
what your opinion of me and my opinion is;
or what you know or don’t know about what’s going on.

What I do care passionately about is Christians showing love and grace to other Christians
- even when we disagree.
Because if the Church, who is dearly loved and called to purpose by Jesus,
can’t love each other and show that to the world,
how are we ever to expect the world to be changed and saved by him?

Let’s not let the enemy win this one Christians.

He doesn’t define us, but our love for each other most certainly does.