Truth in Love

I sit here, writing, in my bed, heavy hearted and honestly quite unsure of what to say. Recently I have had the continual message thrown at me of speaking truth, as in this world today, it is done far too infrequently or in a way that is too hostile to truly be heard. People say to speak your mind and fight for what is right, but has it gotten us anywhere? For me, I always just avoid the topics, because I have been around enough people who just do not care to listen if there is any deviation between beliefs, and they automatically fire back thoughtless words, intended to win instead of those with the intent to share truth. It becomes like pounding a brick wall. It only causes more damage. I don’t know, if I’m being honest, but I am tired of stuffing my thoughts because others might disagree, so here it goes.

I am not here to lecture you on politics, or to tell you that one party or belief is more right than another. I am however here to say that I believe with all my heart that we have forgotten an important detail in our pursuit of “fixing” society. Love. No, again, not to advocate any beliefs in specific, but I think that in a society that so desperately and viciously screams acceptance and love, we are quick to judge. Instead of putting our pride aside and working together, we have become so caught up in the right and wrong that we have forgotten what God has called us to do first and foremost, which is to love others like He loved us.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

And no, I’m not saying to ignore the issues that the Bible explicitly states are wrong, but He said the two greatest commandments were to Love Him and then others. They must be put above all else, and yes, with loving also comes speaking truth, but the truth itself should not become more important than the individual. You see, we think that if we “correct” others and show them how wrong they are, that we are doing just that, “loving them” when in fact God says it is in this way:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

God is love.

When we seek to show others truth, it should be with a heart filled with love, not one filled with stubbornness and pride, deeply rooted in our own way of thinking. When we speak truth, we must not do so in a way that shames others, or is for our own gain, and we must do so with calm speech. We must also remember that everyone thinks the way they do for a reason, and has acted the way they have for a purpose, not to say it was ever justified, but we have no right to serve judgement or condemnation on a person just as sinful as ourselves. That right is reserved for God alone. All of this to say, we still must stand our ground in Biblical truth, but it must be because we love those who we see believing things we know to be lies. If your brother or sister committed a crime, the law may be cruel towards them, but you, you have a love for them that allows you to see both the individual and the crime they committed. The crime should not make you love them any less, but it should push you to want to help lead them towards the right path. This is how we should treat everyone; as a sibling, child, or loved one. And who knows, if your reasons are not found in the Bible, maybe you are the one who should be open to new ideas.

I am aware this is not the most insightful or eloquent writing you will come upon, and I know I am far from knowledgeable enough to know how to fix problems that politicians and economists are baffled by, but one very basic, and forgotten key to the puzzle I do know is love. This message may seem too soft for some, and too rigid for others, but I am not here to please those who come across this, honestly maybe no one ever even see it, but what I do hope is, is that if you are here, that you open your mind and heart and consider that maybe the reason why you find it so easy to yell at someone on facebook or to trash our political leaders, is because you know we need a change, and you have a burning in you for that change to happen. You don’t know what needs to take place, or maybe you do, and if we all would begin to put effort into sharing truth with love, maybe we might actually get somewhere. If our politicians and leaders could understand this? The whole world could change.

If you do not have your heart in the right place when pursuing the change our society needs, you will only add to this wildfire of destruction that we all have dropped our matches in.