“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 ESV
These past few months I’ve been allowing the acts of people get to me more than usual. Not just something that directly affects me but other stories that I hear too. It’s been weighing me down. Not just in a small way but has been effecting big parts of me.
But the problem that I have been facing is how to keep myself quiet on these things. I know it sounds sad but most of these conversations or stories that I see are on social media. Specifically Facebook. I see people posting things that make my heart hurt. Things that are said in God’s name yet are filled with so much hate. People dropping racial slurs yet not realizing how offensive their words are. People being so careless with the things they say not even thinking about how that can be seen or taken from an outsider. It breaks me.
But what this past week has taught me is that it’s not necessarily my responsibility to fix their wrongdoing. We all have our own convictions I get that. We all have our own beliefs even in the scheme of Christianity. Every one thinks differently. Everyone feels differently. But I sometimes feel that my way is right. Okay, if we are being honest most of the time I feel that my way is right. But the pill that I am so harshly trying to swallow is that maybe I am not right. Or maybe, maybe I am right. But that being right is not the point. That being right does not mean to debate it. Sometimes being right takes patience and humility. Sometimes it takes conversations over years. Sometimes it takes more of a teaching rather than “I told you so.” Sometimes it just means to love.
The true lesson we need to learn is to love as much as we fight for it. Because everyone deserves love. Even the person that is hateful in their heart or careless with their words. Even the person who can make someone feel completely worthless with a sentence. We love the oppressed but we also need to love the oppressor. We cannot preach love but then hate the person who doesn’t do it right. We need to love in all circumstances.
We must remember that He who we follow loved not only the adulterous but the religious nut. He loved them all. He thought they were all worth dying for. It’s about time that we not only love the people others believe are unlovable but the people that we believe are unlovable. We have to love them all. The hater, the self righteous ass, the politician, and the religious crazies. Because they were all precious in His sight. They all need love. We all need love. Let’s love and trust that in the end He will make Himself known.
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV
