Kill 'Em part 1
The other day I sent out a tweet that said, "Kill them with kindness. Kill "Em All." And, full disclosure, Kill 'Em All is the name of an album from my favorite band of all-time. But my point was... you can't fight fire with fire. At least not in the traditional sense that we generally think of. Not in the "eye for an eye" sense. But we CAN fight fire with fire if we understand what the fire REALLY is. And, in a word (or a Bible verse), "...our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). When I see fire in the Bible, I see God. When I see love in the Bible I see God. (Or when I see God in the Bible, I see love.) So in order to fight fire with fire in the correct, Biblical way, we do what Romans 12:21 says, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." We do what I believe Abraham Lincoln said, which is to destroy our enemies by making them our friends. Or we do what Romans 12:20 says (right before telling us to overcome evil with good, it tells us HOW to overcome evil with good), "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Fighting fire with the TRUE fire that is God. That is love. I think its really really hard to not like someone who is loving the hell out of you. When people are nice, sometimes its our first inclination to be wary. To think they have an ulterior motive. Because most of our experiences have taught us that people are out to take advantage of us. Most of our experiences have taught us that people are takers, and not givers. But that's why love is so amazing; it is radical. It is different than what the world has to offer. It is literally a more excellent way. Because love doesn't HAVE a motive. Love IS the motive. I think the best (and maybe, really, the only) reason to do something is because its in your heart to do it. And, yes, I know we have to have money to live. I know Paul said if you don't work you don't eat. But even then, taking care of ourselves or (on a higher level) taking care of each other with the money we earn MEANS that we are doing it because its in our hearts to do it. I find it very difficult to do things "just" for money. But if I know what that money is going to be used for, and if its a good thing, then its much easier for me to do what I gotta do. But my point is, we don't win anything with "an eye for an eye." Under that system everybody goes blind. But when we heap coals of fire on someone's head--by loving them... seeing a need and meeting it--what we're really doing is melting their hearts. Burning them with that consuming fire that is love. That consuming fire that consumes everything except itself (Himself). Leaving nothing BUT itself (Himself). That's what Jesus did on the cross when He remade the world in His image. And I know it doesn't always look like it, or seem like it, but the truth of the matter is... we are living in heaven on earth. Right now. Because heaven is in US right now. We are IN the Kingdom because the King is in us. We ARE the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Love. And in order to invite others into the Kingdom--or awaken others that THEY too are in the Kingdom--what we need to do is kill 'em. Kill 'em all. With love. And kindness.