For the Love of God!

It hurts when I read or hear stories of how people are dying around the world, and I realize how desperately this world needs to embrace God's love for them and everyone else.  In the US everyone is being polarized by what I not so affectionately call Black vs Blue Lives.  There have been so many publicized cases of unjust killing involving the police and black/African American people that it seems like the civil rights movement all over again.  People of color are fed up with the abuse they continue to experience from law enforcement in spite of this so called era of post racism in America, and they are declaring that "Black Lives Matter".  Some are rising up in response to defend police because they believe "Blue Lives Matter."  All of this unrest is simply leaving my nation black and blue with individuals full of hate in their hearts taking advantage of this dismal moment in our history to spur on hatred from one man to another like a plague.  This is a result of the devaluing of life.

When I heard of the tragedy in France, my heart sank and my eyes flooded.  How could someone mow down people so hatefully? Dozens of men, women, and children died because another person did not value their lives, or his, as much as his agenda.  France has become a battle ground in the past year and now people are afraid of each other.  This is the result of devaluing of life.

In Nigeria and other African nations Christians are being beaten and killed because of their faith.  Families are fleeing their homes and don't know who they can trust.  Churches are being burned, and no one seems to know how to stop it.  This is the result of devaluing of life. 

In light of these and other world crushing events, I am left asking myself " what if God's love in me was greater than my desire for glory: to be declared the "winner" or "the best" or even "the most valuable." What if I was willing to take some bruises in order to give my neighbor some room to change and/or grow?"  The best and only example that I can see of someone who did this lies in this scripture:

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  Romans 5:6-10

We were all the enemies of God, but instead of letting us all perish in hell God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could have the opportunity to develop a healthy  relationship with God, unobstructed by our offenses against him.  He paid so that we don't have to.  All we have to do is accept his expression of love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  God valued our lives so much that he was willing to suffer the blows and the disgrace, giving his own life for us. Only the love of God can do something like that, and this is what the world needs. 

If people are willing to relinquish their pride and show love to the people in their midst by forgiving before they are asked to, by praying for people instead of talking about them when they've done something wrong, by reminding them in thoughtful ways of how God loves them, then maybe we wouldn't need a movement to remind people that black lives matter, or blue lives matter, or Muslim lives matter, or Jewish lives matter, or Christian lives matter, or unborn lives matter, or female lives matter, or gay lives matter, or child lives matter, or elderly lives matter, or poor lives matter, or rich lives matter, or disabled lives matter, or single lives matter, or married lives matter, or criminal lives matter, or even racist lives matter. 

Anyone who devalues life in any way is wrong, but our solution has to be love or it will simply lead to a different view of the same problem.  Let's start by asking God to put his love in our hearts and accepting his love for us.  Then let's start loving ourselves and our families.  Then let's love whoever God puts in front of us.  When we mess up let's take responsibility and do better.  When others mess up let's forgive quickly and reconcile.  Can we do that? 

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

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