“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
- Black Lives Matter
- All Lives Matter
- Those who want to overthrow the Police Departments
- Those who want to reform the Police Departments
- Those who are offended by the looting and violence
- Those who believe violence is the only way the greater society will listen
- Those who find kneeling during the national anthem a legitimate form of protest
- Those who are offended at the kneeling of the national anthem
- Those who defend President Trump
- Those who can’t even stand the sight of Trump
There are many more polarities in our society.
The thing I find disturbing about where our society is that every side is absolutely convinced they are right and those who don’t agree with them are wrong.
There is no room for dialogue. There is no room for respectful disagreement.
If that be the case, there is no way forward. Only war. Only more discord.
What if “All Lives Matter” people truly take the time and effort to seek understanding why someone would say, “Black Lives Matter” and visa versa?
What if we all took a position and posture of wanting to understand and see things from the other’s perspective? What if we all took a posture of learning from others?
For only when we are able to learn from one another will we find mutual solutions to the wrongs in our society. There is plenty wrong. Oh, there is plenty wrong in our world. But we won’t solve anything when we refuse to learn, listen, and understand.
Love seeks to learn, listen, and understand the other so that eventually there is never an other.
So listen again to the words of the Apostle Paul and apply them to your life today:
Praxis: Faith in Action 