love in troubled times...

"Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look.

We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know.

We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore.

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new.

The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.

God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.

God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing.

We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.

We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you."

 -2 Corinthians 5:18 (the Message)

This morning my Hubs gave a powerful message on unity... & the ministry we are called to as Believers to take on the mission of reconciliation.

Here are some of his thoughts...

"In wake of the numerous tragedies from Ferguson, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois to Brooklyn, New York, and all other places in between, I want to address all my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let me state that ALL lives matter. As followers of Christ, we acknowledge that God created all of humanity in His image. Therefore, life is valuable and worth protecting regardless of skin color, age or cultural identity.

For those of you who are seeking to stir the pot of division among people based on such areas, you are forgetting that Christ said that as followers of His, we are one (Col 3:11-14). That we must live in such a way to promote unity. That our mission on earth is to seek reconciliation between man and God as well as between people (2 Cor. 5:18). As followers of Christ, we have become something bigger than our race, our cultural identity, our denomination....we have become united as one.

 Some who claim to know Jesus, have sought media attention and notoriety rather than true reconciliation. Tactics designed to segregate people (especially followers of Jesus) into sides is not reconciliation. It is deception. A smoke screen for an agenda other than true reconciliation. My prayer is that these people will allow the Spirit of God to move them back into alignment with God's way of seeking peace; "to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1-3). All followers of Jesus must live this way.

The Church of Jesus has an opportunity to be leaders in light of these tragedies. Yes, life is valuable. Yes, bad cops need to be held accountable. Yes, people need to obey the law. But instead of rallying around a particular context of opinion, we must rise above that and respond as Jesus would.

With that being said, please prayerfully consider your response to all that has been going on. Is it truly a righteous response or have you gotten caught up in the tricks of Satan to divide and destroy all things good?"

As he spoke, I found myself transfixed... my heart in my throat & on the verge of tears. It takes a lot of courage to ask people not to take sides... to set aside their feelings & look for the way to compassion, love & reconciliation... the way of Jesus. I'm not gonna lie, in the beginning I wondered how many angry phone calls he might get this week... in the end I found myself searching my heart for any bias in me & found myself conflicted.

Here's the real deal, I am fiercely loyal. To a fault. This is how God has made me. Since my Hubs became a police chaplain, I have developed a deep tie to our law enforcement community. I count our chief of police's wife as one of my dearest friends & the men & women who serve here in our little community are good people. Honorable people. When the news came in of the shootings in NY, I will never forget the baffled look on my favorite officer's face or the fear behind his young wife's eyes. Because I know them & love them, it is easy for me to choose the side that will keep them safe.

& yet... there were so many thoughts & emotions swirling around inside me... so much so that this afternoon when my Hubs lay down to take a nap, I bundled up & took a nice long run to clear my head & to talk to God.

Running is good for the soul & as I ran my mind began to unravel & the real question became clear.

How can I... in the place God has put me... be an agent of reconciliation?

I can choose to show compassion instead of indifference.
I can choose to bestow grace instead of judgment.
I can choose forgiveness instead of fear.
I can choose love instead of hate.

This kind of love is not exclusive. It sets aside my preconceived ideas about those I don't understand. It transcends all racial, cultural & religious differences. It is the healing thing that can bring us all... African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian... poor, rich, educated, uneducated, white collar, blue collar, no collar... together as one. The way our God intended it.

I'm not being disloyal to my friends by showing this love to everyone... if anything, I'm deepening it. When we learn to love without conditions... without barriers... we love better. We love as our Savior loves us.

"But when the world can turn around and see a group of God's people exhibiting substantial healing in the area of human relationships in their present life, then the world will take notice."
— Francis A. Schaeffer (The God Who Is There)