The Two Greatest Commandments

Kelly: A few nights ago, Holly and I were having an interesting conversation, as is the starter of the majority of these blog posts. As you all know, we are followers of Christ, or at least we claim to be. By the way, if you see or hear us acting not in such a manner, please let us know. Sometimes we are not aware of our own words or actions, am I right? Anyway, in Matthew Jesus answers the question what the two greatest commandments are. Simple. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul mind and strength. The second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself. In today's world, it seems to me we need to go back to basics with the latter.

I've heard before ad nauseum, especially from these other "churches" who say "we love God and He is our Savior, but you all are burning to hell because of xyz." Yes, I'm talking about the latest people population that has been targeted; gays. Now please don't misunderstand me, I am in no way shape or form discriminating against anyone who is gay. In fact, some of my friends are gay and I love them dearly. The question that Holly and I posed while we were having this conversation is can you love God without loving other people? ALL people? My answer? No. I don't think you can. Jesus didn't discriminate against ANYONE, therefore we shouldn't either, whether or not you claim to carry the name Christian. If one is selective about who they want to show love to, then in my opinion you're missing the message that Jesus was trying to carry. But it's not just the gay population that is being targeted, no. Again, like I said, I feel like the world needs to go back to basics. I think some people have just forgotten how to simply be nice. I was reading on Yahoo! news that this family received a letter stating that their mentally challenged young son was a disgrace to their neighborhood and that the parents were shameful for letting him play outside.

Ironically, Holly and I viewed Lee Daniel's The Butler this evening. There was one line that President Kennedy (as portrayed by James Marsden) is watching the TV and footage of African Americans being relentlessly beaten on the streets. He sinks his face in his hands and says "I can't believe that this is my country." Sadly, this is what our country was and unfortunately what our world is becoming. Ya'll, this is the point I'm trying to say; it doesn't matter what your views are on Christianity, gay rights, etc. Just show some common courtesy to ANYONE you meet. You don't know what they're going through.

Holly: We love because He first loved us.  ~1 John 4:19

Jesus dying for the sins of the world on the cross- how much more of a powerful way can you say "I love you?'  He also makes very clear the two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Nowhere is there any subtext that says love your neighbor as yourself....EXCEPT if he's gay, black, weird, pink, straight, yellow, male, female, a dog....NO.  There are no exceptions.  Period.

I've mentioned this in a post or two previously, but I think love just goes beyond love.  I believe love also comes with acceptance.  Jesus loves who we are, everything about us, flaws and all.  I don't think you can love somebody without accepting all of them.  Now that goes without saying that you don't have to fully adopt their lifestyle choices- no.  That's not it at all.  But stay open-minded and be respectful.  Eventually you look past all the things that originally turned you off from them and you see them for who they really are; a child of God, a living, breathing human being.  If you really think about it, when you boil everything down, we are all essentially the same.  We are all created in the image of God.  I know I need to remember this when I yell at the questionable drivers I encounter on a daily basis (I have terrible road rage).

I'm caught thinking of Westboro Baptist Church.  This is an institution that is supposed to be proclaiming the love of Christ.  Instead, they spread nothing but utter hate and ignorance and oppose anything that threatens their little box full of blasphemy that they've sadly put themselves in.  They absolutely refuse to listen to any reason whatsoever and they believe they are perfectly valid.  I do not consider them a church.  I do not consider their members to be Christians.  Heck, I don't even know if the life I'M living will be considered Christian when I am judged by God at the end of my earthly life.  But it's spelled out as clear as day: we are called to love.  And I'm doing my best to do just that.  Please let me know if you see me doing otherwise.