Depolarize – Love Those Who You May Not Like

Word-Of-The-Day: ’And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.’ (1 John 4:21)

Our world today is very polarized between Righteousness and evil; a more liberal, subjective ‘feeling’ train of thought versus a more conservative, objective ‘factual’ train of thought.  The more a person falls into ‘feeling’, to the point of what ‘factual’ people consider to be deviant and abhorrent behavior, the dislike between the two sides grows.  One side screams for abnormal and evil behavior and actions to be accepted, while the other side screams back, ‘NO!’, insisting on Righteousness to prevail. 

Civility and decorum disappear as both sides grow angry with each other, and there is no dialogue except for the rhetoric each side spews.  Righteousness will always win, of course, as it is tied to God.  Instead of conceding defeat, there are those who are evil striking out to destroy what is good.  It is said John Wilkes Booth was surprised his fellow Confederates were unhappy and unsympathetic with his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln just after the Union defeated the Rebels in the Civil War in 1865.  A similar backlash, to an admittedly lesser degree, is occurring with the assassin of Charlie Kirk for his act. However, a hardline minority holds their actions as justified, unfortunately.

In both cases, the actions of evil to take out good through killing results in people rallying around Righteousness.  The death of Lincoln resulted in many Southerners, fresh in defeat and a dislike of the North, rallying to solidify the reunification of the United States.  Today, we see many students who may not be fully in the camp of Christian conservatism rallying to join Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA as they see Righteousness and it’s set of facts as more appealing then evil and the lies of feelings.  The result is from the fact that while we may not always like each other, it is better to love each other than to hate.

Just about all of 1 John 4 would apply, but verse 21 gives us this command, like the Great Commission Jesus commands us to do.  The story of Jonah is also applicable; we may not LIKE everyone we meet, or all of our relatives/co-workers/neighbors/etc., but we must LOVE them.  Even our spouses, children, or family members we do not like all the time, as they (and conversely, we men) do things that are occasionally… stupid and annoying.   

I have two sisters who are 16 and 19 years older than me, respectively, who I haven’t talked to in years over them having a falling-out with my mother (who also was not always likable but who of course I loved), and who – despite efforts to reach out to them – want nothing to do with me either.  I respect their wishes, but of course if they ever came to my door, I would let them in and would talk with them.  I pray for them though I am not happy with them. 

One of the neighbors who often receives food baskets during the holidays is one who annoys me – greatly.  He is the type of guy who has that grating, honking laugh, who rambles incoherently.  I just can’t spend too much time with him.  That does not mean I am not concerned or have stopped caring for him.  He has been disabled after having a heart attack a couple of years ago.  Even though I tense up when I spend more than 10 minutes with him, I am glad when there is something I can do to help them, whenever and however we can.

Do you think God LIKES us all the time?  Let’s look at God’s relationship with the Old Testament Israelites for the answer.  God LOVES the Israelites, but when they turned away from Him, he disliked what they did, and left them wander in the desert for forty years, exiled them to Babylon for seventy years, and more.  But when they really needed Him and called upon Him, God came through for them.  God LOVES us, but as America has turned its back on God, God I’m sure doesn’t like that we have embraced all the perverted debauchery, the lies and deceit of our politics, our removal of His Word from public discourse. 

Individually, God loves His children, but when we sin, I’m sure he doesn’t like what we do.  Nevertheless, he continues to forgive and returns to love us.  We must also be the same way, we may not like everyone we know, but we must love them enough to share the Gospel, to help them as we can to bring Jesus together with them.  Pray for those who you may not like or disagree with; while it may not change their flavor with you it may more importantly change them in accepting Jesus – and that is providing them true love.