We Will Love

My spirit is heavy and I am so saddened by the passing of Amendment One in NC yesterday. I hurt for my state and all of those who will be affected by it.  I will continue to stand for equality with my brothers and sisters.

But my heart is broken for my country... my heart is broken for the hatred I have seen on my Facebook wall and read in blogs and internet sites. My heart is broken for the name calling and the attacking of one another. As we create a deeper, wider divide between "us and them," my heart breaks and I remember a prayer spoken from another a long time ago, "may they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:21). I remember that Jesus allowed himself, willingly, to be tortured and killed, and he did not lash out with hate or name calling. No, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34). And when he was resurrected, when he won, he did not rub it into the faces of those who were against him. No, he loved them. Because he knew who the real enemy was and he  defeated him. No matter how many times we wedge something between us and another, Jesus Christ died for all of us and through Christ, through the cross, through the Spirit, we are one.

Justice is not retaliation - justice too easily becomes injustice. Justice… no. Not without reconciliation, understanding, and compassion! It takes time and patience to achieve equal rights in this country. It took over a century for African Americans. It took decades or longer for women. We will not stop. But we must not forget that we are all One. We must not forget that justice belongs to God!

To everyone, I ask, stop judging! Stop pointing fingers. Stop using the Bible against each other! Hatred is not the way of the cross. Hatred is not the way that Christ has called us - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." John 14:34.  Did we think this would be easy? Have we forgotten who we were made to be? Have we forgotten the following verse? "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 14:35.

The real enemy is not your brother or sister. The children of God are not your enemies! Our enemy  is evil itself, which seeks to divide us, to drive us against one another, to fill us with hate for each other.  Our enemy is fear. Perfect love casts out fear. Choose love!

Today, I am not ashamed to be American. I am not ashamed to love North Carolina. I am not ashamed of my vote. I am not ashamed of the cross. I am not ashamed of Christ. I am ashamed of the hatred I discovered in my own heart. We should all, "for" and "against," be ashamed of ourselves for the hatred and pride in our hearts

 

I am encouraged by some posts and updates I'm seeing online this morning. Please, everyone, however you voted and however you choose to move forward, stop hating, stop retaliating. Please, choose to embrace, choose grace, choose forgiveness, choose repentance, choose love. Then, with reconciliation being our goal, in compassion, we can seek equality and justice for ALL, placing our hope in the day when we will all be finally and completely reconciled together with our God.