“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to His word, so the beginning of love for our brothers and sisters is learning to listen to them.” -Dietrich Bonheoffer
I’ve been given a fair share of negative-sounding
labels: anti-gay, close-minded, etc. It makes me seem like a really angry and
tight and impassionate person, because I’m “against” so many things. But ask
anyone who really knows me, and I think you’ll find that’s not the case. And
really, the labeling thing goes both ways. To be FOR something means you have
to be against something, so if you’re pro-gay marriage, you’re ANTI-traditional
marriage. If you’re PRO-choice, you’re ANTI-life.
It’s funny, but you hardly ever hear the term
“anti” being applied to the more liberal-minded people… and I think that is
part of the reason conservative beliefs are so often viewed as restricting.
Like I said, it goes both ways. And when
you understand this, you can start to realize something else, something that is
often overlooked.
We’re getting hurt, too. The Christians.
See,
when we turn the tables, we realize that the “anti-Christians” are belittling
the very things that we Christians build our lives around. The beliefs they
toss around as “jokes” are actually very precious to us. But for some reason I
just can’t figure out… that’s okay. Christian beliefs and values can be thrown
aside and trampled on. The things we hold dear and sacred and breathlessly
beautiful can be mocked, hated, scorned. And then we are told that WE’RE the offensive
and insensitive and close-minded ones.
I wasn’t “offended” when I saw someone post
an anti-traditional marriage (excuse me, pro-gay marriage) status on Facebook.
I don’t see eye-to-eye with that viewpoint (and that’s another discussion), but
I love the person who posted it very much, and I recognize that she is entitled
to her own opinions. No big deal. But it was what came after that, in the
comments—the slurs, the crude language and jokes—that cut to the very quick of
my soul.
And that’s okay?
No. It’s not. It’s as wrong as anti-gay slurs
and crude jokes.
I don’t care what you believe about
homosexuality, or feminism, or abortion, or healthcare, or whatever
hot-button-issues I’m missing. I don’t care if you’re atheist or Buddhist or
Christian or Jewish or you believe in aliens. We’re never going to agree on
everything. Which is fine, because having different opinions doesn’t mean we
don’t respect each other.
I’m just trying to love you like my God does.
But please, don’t put me in a stereotype. I’m
a Christian, yes, but come and ask me about what that means. Ask me why I find
certain things so offensive and so heartbreaking, when they’re just funny to
you. Ask me why I’m for the opposites of
the things that you’re for.
I bet we’ll both learn something.
