Love is our savior; our Savior is Love

As I age, I have come to realize that I have fewer answers and more questions.  I am less rigid on the boundaries of right and wrong, in the context of people’s personal decisions and lifestyle choices.  Things appear more gray than black and white.  Now, before I get a barrage of emails telling me that the Bible is very much black and white and we, as Christians, are not to live in the gray… hear me out. 

We are all very much alike.  Regardless of upbringing, cultural background, religion, political affiliation, race and sexual preference, we are human beings.  We have bodies that function the same; and minds and souls.  We make decisions for our lives based on what we think, how we feel and what “moves” us internally.  We have unique gifts and talents, that when we come together, are used to help and entertain one another.  We share a fundamental foundation of truth that is innate in humanity.  It wasn’t learned, but has existed inside of us from the moment we were birthed.  It says this:  Love is right.  Hate is wrong.  Love is healthy.  Hate is harmful.  Love is good.  Hate is bad. 

I do not believe anyone on the planet will argue with that fundamental statement.  We, as people, long to be loved and are, in essence, created as an extension of love.  Love is internal and inbred in us; but we must be taught to hate.  Hate is an external entity that one makes a personal choice to grasp and invite inside.

 

The Bible says that “God is love.”  Thus, He is the absence of hate.  The Bible also says we are not to judge one another.  In the words of Mother Theresa, “If you are judging someone you are too busy to love them.”    Judgment and love cannot go hand in hand for human beings.  When we judge it is a hate-driven attitude that then becomes a hate-driven action.  For a person to cast judgment, even in the name of God, it is still an action of hate and not one of love.  Only God has the right to cast judgment and only God has the ability to be able to judge and love simultaneously. 

 

Part of our human nature is that we want to believe we are right, that we have the answers, that we’re the best, the chosen, that we are as-close-to-perfect-as-a-human-can-be.  But, this is just a lie that we tell ourselves.  We cannot be perfect and we’re not supposed to be.  We weren’t created with an expectation of perfection.  We were created out of love for the purpose of love…loving God and loving one another.

That’s what life is all about.

Sometimes we think that we’re supposed to have the answers…but maybe we’re supposed to have the questions.  Seeking the answers is what causes growth.  The lesson doesn’t lie in the destination, but in the journey. 

See, love has no ego.  Love is not self-serving.  Love doesn’t go into ministry for the popularity of being known in Christian circles.  Love doesn’t talk other Christians or other religions down and love doesn’t puff itself up.  Love doesn't use fear-tactics and threats.  Love doesn’t destroy families and friendships, but cherishes that which God has given for this lifetime.  Love isn’t satisfied with fake, shallow, hollow relationships. Love doesn't care about image.  In a world where hate prevails in our churches and is spewed forth from our pulpits,  love is our only savior and our Savior (Jesus) is love. 

At the core level, there is no greater truth than love. "Faith. Hope. And Love. But the greatest of these is love."  Everything else will fade away...and all that will be left is love.  ~

... especially hate in His name.

 

The Journey

There are few things in this life of which I am certain.  First, with God ALL things are possible.  Second, there are no chance encounters.  Third, hindsight is 20/20.

These  revelations have been reinforced in the fabric of my faith the past few months.  Funny, how you can walk through a situation and feel like your whole world is unraveling; and then look back at it and realize everything was really coming together. 

All things are possible with God… even the unexplainable, the illogical and the untouchable.  God, being all powerful, could simply zap us into whatever position He wanted, but He doesn’t work that way…at least not in my life.  It’s about the journey, I think.  The lessons often lie in what we learn on the pathway toward our destination, and not in the destination itself.  See, every ending is really the next beginning to a new journey.  So, in a sense, there are no “destinations,” but rather, resting spots along the way.

One thing I’ve come to strongly believe is that life is all about people and our encounters with them.   These encounters aren’t always easy…in fact, they can be very difficult.  It is often times more comfortable to hide and interact as little as possible, or turn a blind eye and a deaf ear when someone annoys us or we don’t understand them, than to risk being sucked into their drama and dragged down by their negativity.  It is tempting to take the easy road instead of the high road.  I’ve been guilty of this many times, and I always end up regretting it.  See, if we aren’t on this planet to interact and reach out to one another… why are we here?  Aren’t we supposed to be living for the purpose of loving others?  Aren’t relationships more important than anything else we acquire?

Jesus said, “faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.”  When I read the Bible I tend to look not only at what is said, but at what is NOT said.  Jesus didn’t say, “the greatest of these is love, when it’s convenient, or easy or feels good.”    I often feel convicted by those words because there are people in my life that are just plain difficult to love.  They’re mean, cold, distant, hurtful and sometimes downright hateful; and I don’t want to love them.  It’s impossible for me, but then I remember that with God ALL things are possible.  He tenderizes my heart and gives me the strength to love those that I don’t really like.  He gives me the strength to reach out to them even when they have hurt me.

I’ve come to realize that each person I encounter gives me something unique….something only they could give me.  Whether it’s a smile when I need it most or a heartfelt story that changes my perspective on life, or a word of wisdom; they’re placed in my path for a reason, and I, in theirs.  It may last only a moment, a week, a month or a lifetime; but the encounter is meaningful nonetheless. 

Life is hard and it’s easy to become jaded and shut off areas of our heart that have been wounded.  It’s easy to convince ourselves that we have a right to be aloof and mean, when we don’t understand what is happening.   It’s easier to point a finger, to judge and accuse others of wrongdoing, than it is to look in the mirror and take responsibility for our own shortcomings.   It’s easier to be calloused and cold, than open up and admit we were wrong.   But… with God all things are possible.  There are no chance encounters… because God uses people to touch, enlighten, restore and rebuild other people.   It’s the experience that holds the lesson, and if we turn our back on the experience, simply because it is foreign to us, we miss out on the growth that comes from the journey.    ~