I haven't been writing but I have had plenty on my mind. The question is not if I have enough to write about. The question is simply do I have enough to write about that anyone would be in the slightest bit interested in!
So I have had the subject of love on my mind a lot lately. I was listening to a sound track from a movie when I was driving from L.A. to Tulsa. I wasn't thinking about anything much except the unique sound of one of the artists voice and then she sang a few lines that really struck me.
The words were, "so if you wanna burn yourself, remember that I love you, and if you wanna cut yourself, remember that I love you, and if you wanna kill yourself, remember that I love you! Call me up before you're dead, we can make some plans instead. Send me an IM I'll be your friend..."
I am not sure exactly why this song interested me so much. If you listen to the whole song it is kind of an anti-war protest song...with love thrown in. I want to ask her (the artist) if she ever got any IM's from anyone who just needed someone to talk to. I really want to know if she is serious about what she says and how she let's it affect her life. In her music she swears and talks bad about the current war. According to what I have heard for most of my life she isn't someone who I should agree with and she doesn't understand love.
*I want to make sure I insert something to explain some of my statements about growing up and the people who modeled love for me. My parents, brothers and my family (including the Chartiers and Harringtons of course) showed me love in word and action. I don't use them as my illustrations because I thought that is what everyone had! I didn't understand how blessed I was to grow up with the people I grew up with. So when I say that someone else "showed me love in a way that I had never seen..." or something like that it is because I mean I didn't see that love outside of my immediate circle very often and that person made a bigger impression because it was a surprise! Now back to the story...thanks for your attention*
So there are two people to this point who have surprised me with their statements about what I consider to be true love. One was my sixth grade band teacher when he explained to all of us that he lived by the motto of "if I can I should" whenever someone asked him if he could do something for them. The other person is the girl who wrote the song I mentioned above. Now my band teacher was a nice guy and I am not anyones judge but he told us that he had been "living in sin" for years and now he was going to marry his gf who had been living with him. That statement alone made him someone that I shouldn't pattern any part of my life after, or at least that is how it seemed to me when I was 12. Then this girl who curses and is obviously very liberal in her views (which is obvious from her songs on this CD). I was always under the inpression that they needed to learn to love like the people who were in church with me.
Here is my main problem...I see them loving the un-lovely and the hurting while a lot of times in church I hear people bad mouthing "liberals" and "sinners". It is a strange thought to me that in the world we live in Christians are looked at as narrow-minded exclusives who are unaccepting of people that don't agree with them while liberal non-Christians are looked at as accepting and open minded.
I can honestly say that my parents always taught us to love everyone. People are what mattered and even if you didn't agree with their actions, we needed to love the people. I had a talk on New Years with a friend that I have literally known my entire life. He said that he really enjoyed coming over to our house because my parents were always accepting of him and we were always able to hang out. He knew what we believed and even though he still doesn't know much about our beliefs he saw our love. Isn't that what it is about? You won't find someone who is more liberal than him, he has even moved to a socialist country and he loves it. This would again make him someone to avoid because "evil companions corrupt good manners...". I have a question for you, "Who did Jesus hang out with aside from his disciples?"
Are you someone that a person who has different views would feel comfortable talking to? Are you someone who is going to love that person no matter what they say or do? Are you someone that can be called if there is a need...even if that need is just a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on? I want to show God's love to everyone that sees me. Not so they are impressed with me but so that they ask me how I can be that loving. That is my goal. If you need something from me just ask. If I can I will.
4 comments:
Really makes me think.... a lot of truth in what you say.
you have a point... I believe the church as a whole are keeping a lot of people out of church by their snooty, "I am better than you" attitude. Jesus hung out with the sinners, the sick and the broken...
Oh my. I remember that band teacher and his living in sin lifestyle! It's nice to hear how his positive attitude touched your life.
I think as a whole, Christians are moving away from the fearful attitude that if we associate with "sinners" we will become corrupted. We are all sinners. I know for me, the fact that we went to public school and living on the wrong side of town was enough to be cut off from the association of many of the youth in our church, thanks to their fearful parents. That was unfortunate and all, but I think it made my parents even more determined in a way to not be like that. They're still inviting in the wanderers and feeding the strays. I'm thankful for that example and hope my own home is as welcoming.
I also think it's easy to complicate this issue. Most of my thoughts start out like this: As a parent...blah blah blah. I like how you've simplified it in a real and positive way.
I haven't read your blog in a while :( Please forgive the lateness.
I grew up surrounded by "Christians" who were hateful towards people who didn't act or believe the same as them to the point of being ridiculous. It was nerve-wracking as a kid feeling like I had to be afraid that some heathen was going to brainwash me into being a sinner. When I was old enough to think for myself, I blew it all off. I saw (and experienced) the worst hypocrisy, back-stabbing, and betrayal from people who were Christian and went to church every Sunday. I never got that from people who maybe set foot in church once or twice a year, if at all.
So I walked away from the hatred and towards the love, and I founds some trues gems of friends in atheists, homosexuals, self-professed sluts, communists, felons, etc. I don't care. I've found that even if you don't agree with the person's beliefs or actions, you can always find something in common to share.
Besides, you don't know what someone might have been through that got them into the situation they're in. And even the worst of the worst is still a loved creation of my own Father. That makes us family. And with the amount of grace, mercy, and unconditional love I've been shown when I was one of the worst, how could I not give the same to others?
As for the "bad company corrupts good morals" thing. Your answer is in your question. Jesus hung out with sinners, but his disciples were his closest companions.
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