I’ve been sitting at my computer since I woke up this morning. I have made several posts in my FB women’s Bible study group regarding our current study, and I was still being lead to share a video. A video about the recent events in Orlando; and now I am still being lead to share here at my blog.
I keep asking myself “Why does this keep happening in our country?”, “How can someone have that much hate in their heart?” My heart aches for Orlando, those whose lives were taken by this murderous act of hate, and their families who are mourning the loss of their loved ones taken by this senseless act. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
My heart also aches for our country. I can not go through my news feed on social media without seeing the negative rhetoric between “friends” and “family” regarding the upcoming election.
Is this one of the reasons acts of hate keep happening? Are we too focused on being right and having all the answers that we forget that we are all human beings. No one is better than the other, we all are flawed…what happened to respect?
I am a Christian and I believe that we are all children of God…ALL children of God. That is hard to accept in light of recent events. I believe that those who deny God, those that commit these heinous crimes, those of every faith and religion, those of every color, those who live a lifestyle different from mine…are all children of God and our loved by God. Our Father wants nothing more for each of us to desire a relationship with Him and there is nothing we can ever do to cause God to not love us.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39
When is enough….enough? Do we, as a nation, have to continue to see day after day murder, terrorist attacks, hate crimes before we “get it”?? Do we have to continue to tear each other apart based on religion, lifestyle, race, gender and create another civil war before we stop? If you say you are a Christian, then I strongly encourage you to take a good look at what you type before clicking that post button..take a good look at your heart before speaking those words to your loved one.
God commands us to love one another. We, as a nation, have to learn how to forgive those who do these acts of hate, we must learn to pray for our enemies. We must remember that we are all His children. We must start looking to the one who created us in His image and start showing His love in actions. Stop with the faith/religion bashing, stop the lifestyle/gender hate, stop with the political hate spewing that isn’t helping our country…JUST STOP! Remember the two greatest commandments…
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “-Matthew 22: 37-39
By His grace,
Misty
Living By Grace 
I have come to understand the hardest part about being a Christian, a follower of Jesus is to love. Not just God, but to love those who persecute me and pray for my enemies. I have come to believe being a Christian is not for the weak. I requires of us to love even when we don’t want to. To love when people persecute us. To love those who seek to do harm against us. To forgive them instead of seeking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. To lift in prayer those who have lost their way and can think only of revenge, rightness and violence. To lift in prayer those who have not been blessed with knowing the forgiving heart of God. To lift in prayer those who have only known persecution, prejudice, hatred and violence. I believe violence breeds violence. Hatred breeds hatred. Guns, this is just a side issue that removes the blame from us. We, humanity, are responsible for the hatred of the world each time we think, say or act as if we are better. Each time we believe we are the privileged ones, the blessed ones. Each time we believe we are superior we give amunition to those who seek to cause harm. The ones who are seeking to be our next president are just adding to this problem. They do not represent understanding, forgiveness and seeking peace. Thanks Misty for your thoughts.
LikeLike