Shut up and love people.


 Photo art credit: Holli Lynn Stevenson

I am convinced that the question that God will ask when I stand before him is 'Did you learn how to love?'. 

If I am to follow Christ, I am to love. Period. Jesus says that people will know his followers by their love. Kudos if you get your theology right. But it is your love that will identify you. Jesus said that anyone who loves knows God. He didn't say 'anyone who prayed the sinner's prayer and reads their Bible with the right hermeneutics and proves that they are the holiest of all knows God.' He said anyone who loves knows God. A Muslim who loves, knows God. A Christian who loves, knows God. A homosexual who loves, knows God. An atheist who loves, knows God.

In my old age, I have found that it is better to err on the side of love over judgement. And that is hard. Judgment is easy. Hatred flows naturally through human veins. Some think that loving others means being soft and gushy. But that is not true. Real love is tenacious. It doesn't let go. Real love says I choose to love you. You are free to be you and I am free to be me and I will protect that love even when we disagree, and I will not try to force you, coerce you or guilt you into being like me - especially under the threat of losing the love of God.

Love means that I will stand with you against those who would hurt you.... Even if they are other people that I love.

In the context of a shared faith that means that I will walk your journey with you. I will offer my thoughts if you ask. I may challenge you but I will not assume that I am right and you are wrong or pray that you see my light. I will be open to learn from you. I will join you in prayer as you wrestle with the things in your life that you have to wrestle with. I will not tell you what to believe. I will not assume that your journey must look like my journey.

If ever you decide that my love is no longer welcome I will let you go. And I will continue to love you with my prayers and good thoughts. I will love you the way God has shown that he loves me...

That is how I am supposed to love.

I fail at all of those things on a regular basis.

The sin of all sin is failure to love the way God loves - the God who is love. The God who will not abandon me. Or you. Or the sinner next door people think is going to hell because _______________________.

What kind of love is that? How do I DO THAT?

I believe that Jesus sent me his Spirit so that I would have someone with me to help me learn how. A teacher to pick me up when I fail - who will love me without fail.  

It's a beautiful cycle, a wonderful ecology of love made up of the strong fiber of the One who created everything.

I want to love like that.






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