Every day, it seems like we face the unimaginable. It feels as though our world is a place that is constantly in a state of brokenness. We read newspapers. We watch the news. We hear of shootings, stabbings, economic downfalls, and terrorism. It is hard to make sense of such a hate-filled world we live in.
Monday morning, I woke up to the tragic news of 59 people losing their lives, as well as hundreds more injured. I woke up to a world that is hurting, once again. Once again, the president makes a plea for the country to unite in this time of tragedy. Once again, we are faced with this reality that love is the only remedy for a fallen world.
Put aside politics. Put aside difference in religion. Put aside anything that can hinder you from loving others equally.
Sandy Hook. 20 children. 6 adults.
Columbine. 12 students. 1 teacher.
Pulse Night Club. 49 people.
Las Vegas. 59 people.
San Bernardino. 14 people.
Aurora, Colorado. 12 people.
Ft. Hood, Texas. 13 people.
Virginia Tech. 32 people.
9/11. 2,977 people.
These statistics are just from 18 years. My heart breaks just typing these out because each one of these numbers is a human life. A mother. A father. A brother. A sister. A vital part of this world we live in. The tears continue to run down our faces too often.
We may feel helpless. We may feel heart broken. We may feel like there is nothing we can do to change the fate of our country. We may feel like we didn’t do enough to save all of the beautiful souls we have lost.
What is going to change things is love. It is a simple smile to a stranger. It is a, “How are you doing today, truly?” It is a helping hand to those in need. It is equal treatment to all you come in contact with. It is treating others how we would want to be treated. It is being the hands and feet of Jesus no matter the circumstances. It is standing up for the weak. It is loving when it seems hardest to love.
That is what is going to change things. You are never too small. Too weak. Too young. Too old. To make a difference in the simplest way.
Loving like Jesus isn’t protesting with picket signs. Loving like Jesus isn’t condemning those who we don’t agree with.
Loving like Jesus is non-discriminatory. Loving like Jesus is unconditional.
Did Jesus ever condemn the people who didn’t believe in him? Doesn’t the bible say that God made each and every one of us? Does the Bible discriminate with the word “neighbor” when talking about loving our neighbors as ourself?
No. Our neighbors include the people who share beliefs furthest from ours and closest to ours. Our neighbors are those of different regions, different ethnicity’s, different races, and different sexual orientations.
Jesus is love. He died for every single person, no matter what they may believe in their lifetime. By discriminating, we are reflecting what the fallen world we live in. By standing up for others, we are reflecting Jesus.
My fellow Christians, it is up to us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It is up to us to be a light unto the world. This world is just going to keep getting darker and darker. But we can make a lasting impact if we all light up this dark world. Love unconditionally. Do the simplest things to make someones day and show them you care. You just may stop something stirring in their heart that could be the next “America’s deadliest mass shooting”.
Love is what is going to make this world filled with light again.
Lifeline 