We live in a troubled world. There’s no denying that. Between COVID-19, racial issues, religious rights issues, and everything else our country is facing right now, we’ve got a lot to work through.
Many of the forces that we look to for guidance aren’t helping, either. The media makes things out to be even worse than they are in order to get views. Our political parties have divided us endlessly, and we’ve allowed it to happen. A troubled world indeed.
I remember a time when people could have a difference of opinion, agree to differ, and still love another. But that doesn’t seem to be the world we’re living in today. People can get brutal, become irritated, and even call you names simply because you believe differently than they do.
I know I’ve been insulted and even called an “idiot” for sharing my views. How about you?
We talk a lot about “tolerance.” We’re told that we need to be tolerant of other people and their decisions, even when we disagree with them. My concern is that we don’t have a tolerance for other people’s opinions. No one should be hated or mistreated simply because of their point of view.
We ought to be able to have differences of opinion, regardless of the issue, in a loving fashion. That’s what God has called us to do.
In 1 Corinthians 16:14, we are told, “Let all that you do be done in love.” That includes the conversations we have with those we don’t agree with.
I have my opinions; I’m sure you do, too. And I doubt we agree on every single issue. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? We could argue forever and never come to a conclusion.
I do know one thing, though: God is always right. And we are to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.
The truth is that these issues aren’t going away anytime soon. We have to deal with them. And we have to do so together. What better way to do that than God’s way?
We shouldn’t be a source of strife or hate. In fact, we’re called to be a beacon of light in this troubled world. We need a good, solid dose of God’s love upon us in order to deal with people in the fashion we should.
I was driving the other day and thinking about all of these issues we’re facing and the fact that we can’t lovingly disagree with one another anymore. I asked myself, “What is the solution? What is the godly way to deal with these problems?”
And then a phrase came to me that I’d like to share with you. It was simply this:
Be still and listen, then respond with love.
I believe that this is the approach we’re supposed to take in our relationship with God, but it’s also the way that we’re supposed to treat other people. This simple approach is the key to having constructive, loving conversations even with those we disagree with.
Over the next four weeks, we’re going to be breaking down this phrase in a series of blog posts. I hope that by the end, we’ll all be prepared to interact with others in a loving, godly way.
It’s hard navigating this troubled world and maintaining healthy relationships with those who see the world differently than we do. But I believe that if we can learn to be still and listen, then respond with love, we can do it.
I’m excited to kick this series off next week with part one: Be Still. I hope to see you then.
To your fitness!