LOVE – FULL STOP!

I often ponder about people being rather judgmental. We have given ourselves the right to judge others by their faith, their sexuality, their skin colour, their beliefs and many other things I can write books about.

As Christians, we are supposed to leave judgment to God, but we fail so blatantly. We perfected the art of saying "I’m not judging, but ......". Most of us can throw stones without flinging and without thinking about the consequences of that throw. Just because somebody else looks or thinks differently from us, we assume we have the right to judge who or what they really are.

At times we decide whether people’s relationships with others and also with God is real. It's so easy to step into the pitfall. We decide on their behalf what their relationship status is. If it does not meet our preconceived ideas, it will be dismissed as nonsense. How many times have we not judged people because they think differently about faith than us?

Are we not supposed to be more tolerant? Are we not supposed to determine the actual state of affairs before we make any assumptions? Isn't it our primary duty to love without conditions? After all, love is not judgmental. Love is not exclusive. Love does not break down. Love reaches out. Love encourages. Love builds up. Love gives space. Love tries to understand. Love does not make us judge by our perceptions. Love gives us the freedom to accept others as they are.

Jesus demonstrated unconditional love. He drew the unlikely closer in love. He encouraged and invited the "greatest" sinners to experience life with Him. He never condemned anyone due to prejudice. He drew important as well as insignificant people closer in love.

So the question remains: What gives us the right to judge others? Where do we get the idea that we can judge another's path if we do not know all the facts? How do you and I know what is going on in another's heart / life unless we acquainted ourselves with the facts?

Living real love is difficult. And we struggle. We need so much grace and we must show so much more grace towards others, but also to ourselves.

I would like to leave you with these words:

“How can we understand that the true power, the real power, perhaps the only power we have is love? Love correcting everything that stands against love. And how can we dissolve the structures, and boxes, and alliances, and tests that make us feel safe when in fact they just imprison us to a past that, for me, was not the good old days.

I’m inviting us to be seekers in the wilderness, to be allies in the wilderness, to be shaped and honed in the wilderness so that when we get to the other side we will find together – create together – a promised land of Love.

This is the HUMAN project. It is not a Christian project. It is not a Jewish project or a Muslim project. It is what we are called to do because we are people whose true identity is Child of God.”

Dr. Jacqui Lewis.

May we live love this year.

May we live according to our calling as Children of God.

May we experience and live love in the presence of the Triune God every day.