You are called to such a time as this ……

In the Name of Jesus, as a Christian I say, I am sorry for what we Christians have done …in the Name of Jesus.

Jesus called us to love one another and to love our enemies but who and what you think are enemies probably are not. No, your enemy is not that “gay person, political person, the Christian, Methodist, Catholic, Muslim, white person, black person, red person, terrorist, murderer, your past friend/sibling/parent you argued with and the list goes on” The enemy is hate. We humans fear those who are not like us, so speak against what we do not know and in this action show hate. More wars are created in the name of God than all else…..this is not showing God’s love. We are to LOVE.

In this season, I ask you to seek out someone you would never go near and never talk with and LOVE on them—get to know them. You will see they are not so different than yourself. Only by loving someone do you change “your hate perspective as well as theirs”.

A great example is the law Roe VS Wade ruling allowing abortion which has led to even greater hate, calling people baby killers and a whole lot more. The director of a pro-life group at the time when this mother wanted an abortion, decided NOT to go this route of hate and instead would meet Norma Roe in the parking lot and love on her while she smoked. In the process of caring for her, she eventually became a Christian—yes, that is what love does and she has gone onto love and change her world because of it.

Teaching for decades in the poorest and most drug ridden areas in the nation, I can tell you I totally understand the desperation that desperate woman are faced with despite the fact I would rather they choose another route. These women are left alone to …not be able to feed.. this new child if they have it, when she already has other mouths to feed and is homeless most of the time with people who walk by and spit on her and the kids—yes—I understand as I watched it go on while I taught these children. We are called to love even when we do not understand. Instead of hating her or my other moms in the same situations, food and clothing were dropped off at houses—yes, especially where my students lived because I was fortunate to love and teach them daily at school and when they did not show up, I drove by to see what was happening or find the new residence where they were hiding. More times than I can remember, I would walk into abandon houses and ask permission from a room filled with adults completely stoned and in a daze, room so smoky I could hardly see all the people and ask if I could take their children to my house where they would get clean, clean clothes, food and time to play games without fear of danger surrounding them –all year long but especially in the summer because it just all got worse in these neighborhoods (and yes, like wow did God protect my ignorance of the danger that constantly surrounded me as I entered).

Let me tell you EVERYONE knew me in the neighborhood. Kids would come up and beg to go with me "this time" but I always told them I had to talk with their parent(s) first and ask permission. Then we needed to track them down and as I entered another abandoned building and find the parents in huge circles with needles and other drugs around them and ask permission, someone would speak up and say “yes, we know who you are…take them and I would proceed to pack as many in my car as I could. Interestingly, the drug dealers, drugged parents and everyone else protected me in that neighborhood every time I entered. I was not an evil Christian preaching to them. I just walked around loving on them but more importantly, by loving on their children. That is Jesus' Love in action. I even got to the point where one of the adults from another of my students would come in with her van and we would pack as many kids in to take to my house to just love on these kids to take them out of danger—“for such a time as this.”

We –you –“are called to such a time as this” to take action—to fight against hate and that can only happen by loving those you hate (Esther 4:14). The action of love and to love and pray for all, but love is active so go out and show love now and forever.

Becoming a Christian means I have HIM with me all the time, someone to talk with constantly and to show me the path that will benefit me the most and that path IS love. Yes, that means giving up my will but I have discovered HIS is so much better. The love I give out comes back 100-fold and WOW has my life been blessed and changed for the better from loving others so different than myself or the same as myself and slowly but surely someone else comes into HIS kingdom to feel that “peace that passes all understanding” Philippians 4:7—not through hating others, but by loving them.

Go LOVE–