Too Tired to Fight

People battle over homosexuality. People fight over a flag. Everywhere there are fights over politics and race, gender and life. Conflict is everywhere, from the streets to social media.

As a Christian, it gets tiring. Do you know what I mean?

As someone who holds the Word of God as my foundation for thought and conduct, I am called to defend it against those who want to tear it down. This gets me labeled a “hater”, “bigot”, and whatever else sounds good at the moment. It’s hard.

As a follower of Jesus, I am called to love everyone regardless of what they believe or do. This is difficult because it’s hard to walk that line between love and permissiveness. It’s not easy to love others and treat them as equals without just taking the next step of being okay with everything they do (in the name of “love”). The first part is easy… the second part is where things get tough. It’s hard.

Easy in Thought

I guess what helps me is taking a step back. I need to get my priorities straight. I am on this earth to love and serve Jesus. After that, I am to love and serve others. First things first… if it displeases Jesus, it doesn’t matter if it pleases others. They are not a priority over Him. That’s easy… to say.

At the end of the day, I’m insecure like everyone else. I want to be loved and accepted and not cut down. As with everyone else, I’m often tempted and willing to compromise my faith so I can get that from those around me.

But their acceptance is so fleeting and conditional. That “love” depends on whether you agree with them or not. That “acceptance” depends on if you support them.

I don’t condone homosexuality, but I love homosexuals. However, many wouldn’t accept me because of that. Their “love” for me is conditional. You get the point. My love for you is not dependent on you accepting what I stand for. Their love is.

One love is more like Christ, the other “love” isn’t.

Keep Your Head Up

Maybe you, like me, are tired of all the fighting. Maybe you are tempted to just give in and go with whatever is the majority position. You hate the labels. You hate the hate. You just want to be accepted.

Before giving in, just take a step back and realize why you are here. Are you here to please others? If so, stop fighting because you won’t make others happy by being in the shrinking minority.

But if you are living for something bigger than acceptance by others, then values and morality become much more important. If you live for God, pleasing Him is of the utmost importance, and battling for His name is your calling.

Remember whose love is actually loving in the first place. It’s not the world’s, I can tell you that. Their love is conditional and fleeting. Christ’s love is unconditional and eternal. Keeping this in mind helps us to keep doing what we need to do.

Keep your head up and your priorities straight. Our lives will be draining, but it’s for a purpose. Our fights aren’t in vain.

#Homosexuality #AQCFaith