nbcrusader
Blue Crack Addict
With the great divergence in views on faith and religion, one common denominator that we all seem to agree on is the requirement to love on another. Whether someone is a Christian or atheist, I can't recall an argument against this stance.
Do we really practice it?
Case in point. Before my wife's surgery, one of the women from her bible study visited us in the pre-op room for prayer. We had some time, so we were catching up on various things.
Our friend told us that their new church building had been vandalized. An individual or group had broken in and made a real effort to damage the new sanctuary.
I thought her reaction would be
Instead, she asked "what did this person need in their life that would lead them to this action?" Her desire to care for the needs of the vandal was a demonstration of loving our neighbor (even the most unlovable).
This got me to thinking of our reactions to other matters. What was missing from the soldier's personal life that would lead them to mistreat prisoners? Not just external things like "lack of supervision," what did their heart need?
I guess loving our neighbor could be one of the greatest challenges we face.
Do we really practice it?
Case in point. Before my wife's surgery, one of the women from her bible study visited us in the pre-op room for prayer. We had some time, so we were catching up on various things.
Our friend told us that their new church building had been vandalized. An individual or group had broken in and made a real effort to damage the new sanctuary.
I thought her reaction would be
Instead, she asked "what did this person need in their life that would lead them to this action?" Her desire to care for the needs of the vandal was a demonstration of loving our neighbor (even the most unlovable).
This got me to thinking of our reactions to other matters. What was missing from the soldier's personal life that would lead them to mistreat prisoners? Not just external things like "lack of supervision," what did their heart need?
I guess loving our neighbor could be one of the greatest challenges we face.