John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Love one another. That is all that this says. It doesn’t say love the people you get along with, it doesn’t say love the people that you agree with, and it doesn’t say love the people that you feel like loving. It says love one another. There is no conditions on this love. As God has loved us, he is calling us to love others. God’s love is boundless. It has no limitations. It has no expectations. God’s love is just that, unconditional. So many times as I read the bible I read about how God’s love is unfailing. He does not fail. There is nothing that says love the people that you like.
This weekend has proved hard in this aspect. As we witness a horrific attack in Orlanda on the LGBT community, in a gay nightclub. I can’t help but watch social media explode. Everything from people who are praying for Orlando, even though these very same people openly state that they are against gay people. These very same people who are praying for Orlando are the same people who post homophobic remarks on their pages, who judge before they get to know someone and who don’t love them unconditionally. I’ve also seen posts that are criticizing the muslim community. A community that in its nature is against violence. What people are missing is that it isn’t an entire religion that is behind these attacks and this hate it is a group of people. There are many muslim people who are AGAINST this. There are people in Islam who are fighting back against ISIS not going along with it. But as soon as people heard that the shooter was a muslim they took it and ran. There were hurtful words said, there is people in this who are hurting and desperately need love. We can’t solve the problem of hate with more hate.
How do you think you’re reacting to this situation. Are you loving the way you’ve been called to love? Or are you feeding the hate? If you call yourself a Christian I want you to take a good hard look at yourself, through the eyes of God and ask yourself.. Would God be pleased with your actions? Would He be happy with how you’re treating HIS people? I’m not saying that I’m perfect, in fact I’m far from it. But I want to live a life that is pleasing to God and I don’t believe that includes condemning ANYONE for ANYTHING. Who am I to judge anyways?
I’m going to conclude this by saying I am praying for Orlando. I am praying for the family of the shooter. I am praying for the community that he was a part of. I am praying for the families of all of those who lost their lives. I am praying for those who are still in the hospital, some injured and some possibly fighting for their lives. I am praying for everyone who is connected to this somehow. More then that though. I am praying for the world we live in today. The only way that we can combat hate is to love more. I hope that born out of this terrible instance is a whole new world of love instead of more hate. “A moment of anger can destroy a lifetime of work, whereas a moment of love can break barriers that took a lifetime to build.”
Choose love.