He Told Me To Love

What if maybe we're all wrong?

So what if there's a group of people that can't fathom another group of people being born a certain way?  So what if the first group may be hateful towards the second sometimes?  What if a holy book has verses against homosexual practices (although it is interesting to note that the leader himself said nothing about the subject)?  So what if there are groups of people who protest anti-whatever, because they think that their hatred is actually going to change other's minds?

What if God did create gays gay?

What if what God wants for marriage is actually just a loving relationship, where people love each other, are faithful, and caring?  What if God wants a 1950's sitcom family?  What if God wants a family with a man and wife?  What if God doesn't care as long as we love each other?

Who are we to say that people can't believe what they want?  We live in America right?  How is your hatred towards those you say are being hypocritical and hateful, any different?

So what if we're all wrong?

What if God is just up in heaven laughing at us?  Laughing at us trying to figure him out.

Because maybe we're just trying to put God in a box...and a stupid internet, world-wide debate is our generation's way of dealing with it.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.-- 1 Corinthians 1:25

Maybe God is even bigger than any of us could ever imagine.  Because when I try to imagine a God who created the WHOLE universe, I get stumped.  How could the same God who created all the moons of the planets, the dinosaurs, every single species that ever walked the earth... how could he have created me?  This short, curly haired, young adult, with her faults and the ways that I fail God everyday... How could this great creator have time for me when he's dealing with everything else in the world?  But somehow I know he does because I have seen him work in my life, and because of that, who am I to even fathom putting God in a box?

I don't serve a God who I can put in a box and sugarcoat.  I serve a God who breaks the box.  I serve a God who tells me that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).  I serve a God who tells me that He loves me so much that He sent his own son down to die for me, and to put my sin upon his back (John 3:16).

I think it's important to take a step back sometimes.  To take a step back from everything we've been taught growing up, everything our friends and mentors believe, and everything that we long to know.  I think it's important to get back to the heart of God.  

With all this talk of Chick-fil-A this, and universal health care that, we get caught up in this awkward place between theology and politics.  This awkward place where Jesus nor George Washington wanted us to be.  The Bible talks about the unification of believers, and Washington told us not to develop political parties.... somehow that didn't work out.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] This is the first and greatest commandment.³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”-- Matthew 22:36-40

As a Christian I believe that it is my responsibility to love those around me.  To love God, and then to love those around me.  It's funny, because currently in my life, I am in a place where I feel convicted for not loving enough, and here I am writing about it.

You've probably heard liberals say that loving your neighbor doesn't mean excluding the homeless, gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, drug dealers, blacks, middle eastern, etc.  And yes, I completely agree that this is true, but it also doesn't mean to hate on other Christians because their interpretation of the Bible is not spot on with yours.  Hatred is hatred, no matter where it comes from.  Maybe hatred isn't the best word, but you get the picture.

So what if someone doesn't hold the same specific view as you?  It does not give you the license to talk bad about people?  By human nature we are people who have a hard time grasping that there are people who are different from us in the world, and that they believe different things.  If you don't believe me, just look at history!

Being a student of religion, I often have discussions with theologians and other students.  I love these conversations because for the most part, we realize that although we all have different opinions and different views on things, we all share a common faith.  We all believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that he was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again on the third day.  But while we have these differences, we realize that we can learn from each other.  We can grow from each other.  And one of the phrases I hear most is, "I come out with more questions than when I began". 

I guess my point in all this is this:  Who are we to say that we have all the answers?  Sometimes even our Biblical analysis have holes.  Sometimes even our non-Biblical reasonings have holes as well.  As a Christian this is where faith comes in.  This is where trust comes in.  This is when it becomes the time to give God our faith and our devotion.

And the questions above... I don't know the answers to most of them.  I could probably come up with a thousand more questions easily.
But there is one thing I do know:  God told me to love my neighbor as myself.  He told me to love.

My cousin had a baby yesterday.  My cousin is only a few months younger than I am.  She is engaged and starting a family.  I am so happy for her, but what I think is funny is that while she is doing that, I am here, single, and working on my senior year of college.  

Lately (well the past day or so), I have been thinking a lot about the different paths our lives take and the ride that God takes us on.  For the first however many years of our lives, we are told exactly what track we are supposed to follow: education.  Slowly as you grow older, you have more choices available to you: classes, extracurricular, furthering your education, etc.  Then if you go to college you have those 4 years mapped out, and maybe more depending upon the career path that you choose.  

My main point is, there comes a point when you are not being told what to do anymore.  You may have basic things that people tell you: have a job, have a family, provide for said family, do whatever makes you happy.  But the beauty of that point is that you can do really whatever you want, and the path is up to your choosing. 

I think this is something that hit me really hard because of how close my cousin and I are in age, and how close I am to graduation: 10 months!  It's crazy that these first 22 years of my life are coming to a close quicker than I would have realized.  It's weird that these first 22 years are so important, but I hopefully have about triple that number of years left.

Trying to decipher what God has in store for me is a pain.  It's like trying to teach a dog to meow... not gonna happen!  This path that God is taking me on is mine and it's weird to think that none else has been down this path, but it is also very encouraging.  

This is my life.