You know something that is really hard? Loving people who are different from you. Yeah, I said it. It's one of the hardest things I've had to face this past month of developing an understanding of people that are different than I.
Like my brother, who does not share in the same world views as I do. He is hard to love to be honest. Or the Somali people that make up a huge portion of Minnesota and are overlooked and struck down for their faith in Islam. These people are hard to love. Why do I struggle so much with loving people that are different than I am? Didn't God make us all in His image? Shouldn't I love everyone as Jesus did? The answer to all of these questions is 'YES' my friends. We, as Christians, are called to love everyone, especially those who are different than us. Something that is so darn hard to do. I don't want to love people that are different than me because frankly they are different than me and it's hard for me to relate to them. So how do we go about doing this? Well, I'm still working on that and don't want to stop working on it. One of the many things I learned from my experience at Urbana was learning to love those who are different than me because they were made beautifully in God's image. Standing up for our brothers and sisters who struggle because of their race or religion in the US is especially important. I learned that it is important to know other peoples history and want to learn more about who they are as individuals. I want to love African Americans and Muslims and Japanese and Somali and all peoples well. I think the first step in doing so is recognizing the darkest of things in our own hearts and that my friends is racism. I grew up in it. Unintentionally, I grew up to be racist. As a white 20 something female in a small farm town, I grew up to be racist. Recognizing this and admitting it a few years ago really broke my heart. I don't want to be racist. I don't want to see people as lesser than I. How could this have happened? I felt so horrible having to admit this to myself and recognize it enough to finally put a stop to this trend. I don't want to rewrite history by giving in to this racism and taking part in it any longer. Thus, I have decided to welcome all who are different than I as my brothers and sisters because that is how God intended it. The beauty of differences in race and religion is that each time we meet someone new we get to learn their own personal story. Isn't that just the coolest? I think so! When I think about Jesus and his disciples, heck even his friends, I think, 'wow, Jesus really loved everyone so deeply He looked past their malicious behavior and welcomed them as His own.' This is who I want to become more like folks. An individual who isn't afraid of the prostitute of the tax collector but rather welcomes them into their home is who I want to be. I encourage you to love those who are different from you as well. The differences are what make us beautiful.
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I heard the roar of the lion of Judah Archives
June 2017
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