There has been a great deal of energy, attention, time, discussion and effort put into fighting for competing beliefs recently. Beliefs about whether or not marriage should be allowed between two people of the same sex, and whether or not a woman has the right to have an abortion versus pro-life have taken up a lot of real estate in the news. How do we resolve these issues? Is there an answer?
Yes. The answer is … Love.
The article “Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A” written by Shane Windmeyer is a perfect example of what can happen when Christians put love first. In this case, Shane, an LGBT leader and executive director of Campus Pride, was organizing protests against Chick-fil-A because of their donations to anti-LGBT organizations. Dan Cathy, president and COO of Chick-Fil-A, needed to take action. What he did was initiate a series of conversations that led to greater understanding between the two leaders. The result was that Chick-fil-A stopped their financial support of anti-LGBT organizations. Their grant funding focuses on youth, education, marriage enrichment and local communities. Another outcome was an unexpected friendship.
I’ve often thought, if all of the people who put so much thought, time and effort into fighting for their Christian point of view would put that same passion, energy and effort into sharing the love of Christ through loving action, we would witness the world changing before our eyes. We would bring hope and open up new possibilities for people who don’t know Christ.
Jesus spent time with people who were hurting, who were considered sinners, who had difficult pasts to deal with, or who were just trying to survive. As a result of His compassion for them, they came to experience great healing, peace and joy. Their lives were transformed through His love.
Imagine what would happen if, instead of fighting using typical human strategies, we let our actions be dictated by Christ’s love.
We’re called as Christians to seek God’s ways and acknowledge that the battle is not ours to fight, but His. We just need to do our part as directed by the Holy Spirit. Scripture says, “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15. Isaiah 55:9 says His ways are higher than our ways.
There are so many pressing issues in the world – children going hungry, people living on the streets, the pervasiveness of cancer and global warming, to name a few. I believe we can get distracted from what God is calling us to do when we put too much energy into fighting the way we see fit. I can’t help but wonder how the world might look different if we took all of that energy and redirected into compassionate action that shows people the love of Christ.
If you were to simplify into one statement what our true purpose is, it’s to love God and glorify Him with our lives. When we truly make that the unwavering priority of our lives, I guarantee you that miracles will happen. People will come to experience the love of Christ, seek a relationship with Him for themselves and share that love with others. And the issues we’re so passionately fighting about … they will fade away.
Impossible? Not at all, because all things are possible with God – Matthew 19:26. And what pleases God most: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-38.
Love … It is the answer.
