I have recently been impressed by how broken the Body can be. We call ourselves Christians, but honestly, we have just as much--if not more!--drama as everyone else in the world. A girl I knew growing up turned all the kids against me, leaving me with only a few friends; she called herself a Christian. A church was virtually destroyed, turning on its own members and tearing itself apart over a trivial disagreement. An extended family has just experienced a rift that I doubt will ever truly mend. And we all call ourselves Christians.
How wrong is that! We are supposed to be reaching out to the world, showing people the gospel. Sometimes, I wonder why the world doesn't come running for the Good News that we have; I mean, isn't it beyond amazing that God's grace is given to us freely? Who doesn't love free! But then I look around and realize that they see judgment and hypocrisy and drama and people tearing each other down and it is no wonder why they don't see anything appealing in the church.
And I'm not pointing fingers...I know I am no better than anyone else (although I will admit that I often like to think so!). None of us deserve God's grace for anything we've done (Ephesians 2:8-9 anyone?). He chose to give it to us without us having to do anything but accept it...because He loves us, even when we are unlovable. If a Most Holy God can forgive the massive sins I have committed against Him, shouldn't I be able to forgive others when they wrong me just a little?
I know, I know, it's an old Sunday School slogan as old as the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. So is loving each other and sharing and being nice because God wants us to.
But all that "Sunday School" knowledge does us no good if all we do is know it. We are called to live out what we know to be right. And it's not easy. But loving one another is the second greatest commandment! If God ranked it that highly, shouldn't we? Besides,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
Friends, if we cannot love those around us who have been ransomed by the blood of the Lamb, with whom we will spend eternity in Heaven, how will we show the world the love of God? If someone invites you to join a group, but all you've seen that group do is fight and tear each other down, are you likely to accept the invitation? I'm going to guess probably not.
Yet aren't we doing the same to the world? "Join our club! We have the same drama that you do, but we do it in a setting called 'Christian Fellowship'. The perks are that you get Jesus!"
Yippee.
Except for one thing. We tell the world that we're better, we look down our noses, and we judge them with our sanctified pointing fingers. But they see that we aren't better. In fact, in some ways, we are worse, because we claim higher standards but in the end are base hypocrites. At least most in the world don't preach one thing and practice another.
You may be saying, "That sounds nice and all, but you have to understand: I just can't get along with so-and-so. Our personalities clash or they make me mad or whatever." And while that may be true, you have to love them anyway. Maybe you don't have to spend all of your social time hanging out with them, but you still have to love them.
Look, I don't have the answers. Do I have trouble loving some people? Absolutely. Are there people that I have ignored or held a grudge against? Yes. So I can't just give you a magic formula...because there is none. A couple things that might help though: Look for the best in everyone. This is a good idea even if you're not a believer. (Just be careful not to ignore red flags that a person can eventually do you real harm!) Another thing, which is related, is to see everyone as made in God's image, a precious creation no less valuable than you are. And, of course, it's hard to stay angry with someone if you are praying for them.
Still, there is no easy "Three Steps to Improve Your Relationship with Anyone" or "Five Ways to Show Love in One Easy Checklist" (though those would certainly be nice!). You are going to have to put forth effort. There is no way around that...never has been...never will be.
If you draw closer to the heart of God, you will find a heart for loving others growing within yourself. Is it easy? No. But it isn't supposed to be easy. That is why we need Christ's strength to enable us to do the impossible.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us love one another as God has first loved us and show the world that we are, indeed, followers of the One who is love.
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