It was my birthday eve. My boys and I had a lovely meal and watched a cute movie. All was well until I made the mistake of reading a Facebook posts. I am learning to scroll past most of the craziness but every now and then, I can’t.
This was one of those times.
Despite my temptation, I didn’t respond to the sharer of the article. I took my anger to God. I began to worship. I wanted to sing loudly, so I went into the garage and just worshipped before my God. Tears flowed as I gave him my anger, my frustration, my pain.
There are a few times in my life when I have heard God’s voice unmistakably, where I have heard his stern correcting voice. This was on of those times.
This is what the Lord said to me:
“I know you love me. I know your heart is to please me. You know you hear my voice. You know I work through you. You are my daughter and you can’t be snatched from my hand. Don’t you think if voting for a particular party was important to me, I would have made it clear to you? If you voting for a particular person was important to Me, I would have told you. You seek my will. What is important is LOVE. Let me teach you how to love like me.”
Loving like Him means not being offended when people think differently.
Loving like Him means being okay when people are not as outraged by an injustice as I am.
Loving like Him means having difficult and hard conversations.
Loving like Him means not manipulating people with fear or threatening to withhold (friendship, resources, salvation) if they don’t do what I want or think like I think.
Loving like Him means loving without conditions, without expectation of reciprocation.
Loving like Him means showing kindness to people of different political ideologies, different religions, different denominations, different ethnicities.
Loving like Him is a journey. But it begins by putting one foot in front of the other and choosing love in the small seemingly insignificant moments of every day.
The world will NOT recognize us as Christ followers because of the way we vote, protest, wear a mask, post videos ‘Facebook wants to take down’, fight against communism, quote the Bible, or recite famous theologians BUT by how we LOVE. And if I am honest, most of us are unrecognizable at this point.
After my come to Jesus meeting with Jesus, a burden was lifted. The anger and offense left and I could bless the person who shared the article. (The article stated if Christians heard from God they would vote for a particular party.) I plan to have a conversation with my friend but not on Facebook, face to face.
Can I ask you to do me a favor? Before you respond on social media today, can you worship? Before you formulate your well thought out scripture infused reply, can you ask God how important is this in the grand scheme of things.
Chose to love today on social media, in your conversations, and in your family.
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.””
John 13:35 NLT