So, I've been a bit miffed about something recently, but now I'm not feeling so steamed, which means it's probably a good time to write about it.
"Love your Enemy".
I feel like a lot of Christians don't seem to have this on their radar, in their philosophy, on their mind. It's distressing to me. Now, I realize that if you looked at my life on a day to day basis, you could say this is the pot calling the kettle black. Certainly in my graciousness to drivers who may be "in my way" by virtue of their law abiding vehicular habits. And as far as even loving my neighbor, I've got a long, long way to go. But it really does concern me that this doesn't seem to be in the Christian zeitgeist.
Now, I'm not talking about those who practice the Christian religion, and even less am I concerned about those who don't claim any association to Christianity, but to those who claim to be Christian by relationship to Christ and God, I'm a bit surprised. "Love your neighbor" is a popular Christian idea and slogan. That's good. It is what Jesus claimed to be the second greatest commandment. But people have a tendency to give the "neighbor" part of that a short leash. Which I think is why Jesus a bit later identifies one's neighbor as those whom we most despise in his parable of the good Samaritan.
I am not in any shape or form, thought or deed, signing up for this with gusto. Those I despise most are the kind of people for whom we make gallows and prison cells. I find the thought of loving these people to be emotionally and mentally distasteful. Thinking about the pragmatics of it makes my stomach churn and my inner being blanch. But when Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.", I don't think he was being metaphoric or setting out a hyperbole to make a point. I think he was making a plain and simple command. I can't really ignore that, can I? Distasteful or not, there it is, as plain and simple as it could be. Not only am I to love those who love me (a difficult task) and love my neighbor (a truly problematic task), even more, I must love my enemy (an impossible task). Not at all meaning to have affection for my enemy, that would be unlikely, if not psychological suicide. Affection is mostly an emotion, but love is a movement of will.
One of the things that brought this frustration out in me is the number of disparaging remarks I hear Christians say about Christians who don't think like they do. The ones with different ideals, different ideologies, different doctrines. I understand people are going to disagree. I understand that some viewpoints are going to be closer to the perceived truth or real Truth than others. That's all well and good. There is nothing in any of that reality that constitutes an excuse for failing to love. I don't think disparagement is love, neither Gentle Love nor Tough Love.
As a challenge to myself and to others, I'm going to wrap up my thoughts with this: Many Christians want to know how to love God, how to love others, what they can do to change the world for Christ, what they can do so that people can see and meet Jesus and come to know Christ. Love your enemy, actively. That's just not something anyone does. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the the outcasts and the people no one looks after, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you, do good to those who hate you, love your enemy. It will have a profound effect.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
To be a Hermit...
So, I googled an old flame today. That was...an interesting mistake?
(By the way, Google, you own blogspot, yet your dictionary doesn't register google, either as a noun or a verb? uh??)
Turns out she's a pediatrician. She's a got a kid now, or two; I didn't delve too deep. Her husband is going to be a lawyer. I'm certain she'll be a great pediatrician. They'll do great things.
It made me think about the direction of my life. I feel a little sheepish, a tad embarrassed. I'm living in a basement room, working a entry-level job, trying to dodge the credit agents until I can move up enough to pay them. I've written a few songs that nobody's heard. I'm not on the fast track to doing "great things". I haven't studied anything with any intent, haven't produced anything of caliber, and aside for helping a few folks now and again, haven't been particularly useful. I've learned a lot, a little about everything. By no means a jack of all trades, though. It's been an odds and ends life for me.
The flip-side is that I never had a goal of accomplishing anything. I've never been ambitious. I used to daydream about being a hermit in the woods when I was growing up. Ha, maybe I've accomplished that; I only see a few friends every now and again, by habit, if not choice. In many ways, I think my goal has been to Understand. I suppose I'm slowly accomplishing that, but not in the standard way. I never cared for studies. I consider them a necessary evil. Books and academia will jade you and warp you. Any path, in fact, will do that. I'm not sure I want to be warped by academia, studies, or books.
Anyway, it's embarrassing to have your formers and your peers accomplishing where you are not. I'd like to take some little victory away by making a "this vs. that" case, but frankly, I don't think I can. I've not particularly had any goals, and I've not particularly had any accomplishments. I think I could make the case that in some way I've dumbed down the bar so that I could stand to live with myself.
But I think I've also come to the point where I can see that the value of a goal is not in its accomplishment. It's somewhere else, whether that's the journey or a future enabled by that goal or that accomplishments allow you to be useful to people and to the world. They keep you moving. Maybe the importance of goals is in simply helping yourself to mirror a dynamic world. It *is* a dynamic world, and rather than being static, we, too, should be dynamic.
I'm reassessing...
(By the way, Google, you own blogspot, yet your dictionary doesn't register google, either as a noun or a verb? uh??)
Turns out she's a pediatrician. She's a got a kid now, or two; I didn't delve too deep. Her husband is going to be a lawyer. I'm certain she'll be a great pediatrician. They'll do great things.
It made me think about the direction of my life. I feel a little sheepish, a tad embarrassed. I'm living in a basement room, working a entry-level job, trying to dodge the credit agents until I can move up enough to pay them. I've written a few songs that nobody's heard. I'm not on the fast track to doing "great things". I haven't studied anything with any intent, haven't produced anything of caliber, and aside for helping a few folks now and again, haven't been particularly useful. I've learned a lot, a little about everything. By no means a jack of all trades, though. It's been an odds and ends life for me.
The flip-side is that I never had a goal of accomplishing anything. I've never been ambitious. I used to daydream about being a hermit in the woods when I was growing up. Ha, maybe I've accomplished that; I only see a few friends every now and again, by habit, if not choice. In many ways, I think my goal has been to Understand. I suppose I'm slowly accomplishing that, but not in the standard way. I never cared for studies. I consider them a necessary evil. Books and academia will jade you and warp you. Any path, in fact, will do that. I'm not sure I want to be warped by academia, studies, or books.
Anyway, it's embarrassing to have your formers and your peers accomplishing where you are not. I'd like to take some little victory away by making a "this vs. that" case, but frankly, I don't think I can. I've not particularly had any goals, and I've not particularly had any accomplishments. I think I could make the case that in some way I've dumbed down the bar so that I could stand to live with myself.
But I think I've also come to the point where I can see that the value of a goal is not in its accomplishment. It's somewhere else, whether that's the journey or a future enabled by that goal or that accomplishments allow you to be useful to people and to the world. They keep you moving. Maybe the importance of goals is in simply helping yourself to mirror a dynamic world. It *is* a dynamic world, and rather than being static, we, too, should be dynamic.
I'm reassessing...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
