Together part 1
I say this all the time: We're all in this together. Unfortunately, we seem to want to draw lines in the sand at every and any opportunity. Me on one side, you on the other. We--especially religious folk--always seem to want something to fight against. Like we think we're not doing our part unless we're tearing something (or someone) down. Like being on a sin hunt is something worthy of bragging about. When Jesus came to the earth and walked around in a human body, He wasn't on a sin hunt. He was on a righteousness hunt. He didn't come to show us what's wrong with us. He came to show us what's right with us. To give us life, and that more abundantly. To show us what we are truly capable of by showing us love. By showing us HOW to love. The New Commandment is for us to love one another as he loves us, right? To receive and release the love of God. To let God love the hell out of us and to love Him back by loving each other. That's the answer to the age old question, "What's this life for?". This life is for living. And to live is to love. To love is to live. But the part we seem to miss so often is that love is all about relationship. Connection. Not drawing lines with me on this side and you on the other side. Not demanding that you jump through my hoops to get over to my side. Not getting you to do anything. Because love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. Giving everything you are and everything you have. Without worrying about how it will be received. Giving it simply because you have it to give and because its the best thing going. Let me quote my memory verse for this Rant series before I get too deep. 1 Corinthians 10:17, "For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." I don't think I can say it any better than that. Different parts of the same body, right? The body of Christ. And we're not all supposed to be the same. God made us different on purpose. I think because variety is the spice of life. It would be pretty boring if we were all exactly the same, wouldn't it? Don't opposites sometimes attract? The things that you have that I don't--and vice versa--are the things that make us complete... together. The things you can do that I can't--and vice versa--are the things that ensure that everything can get done... when we work together. Its that old saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together." We're better together. Strengthened by that unbreakable bond of love. And did you catch that part of our verse? We ARE the bread, even as we are PARTAKERS of the bread! We fill ourselves up by filling each other up! I know that sounds counter intuitive, but I think its supposed to. Like how the first shall be last and the last shall be first, right? The Divine Order of things is kind of backwards and upside down from a "natural" point of view. Taking care of others is how we take care of ourselves. Because we're all in this together. The body is strongest when it is whole. Complete. When we take care of the "least" of them. Its all about unity. Connection. Relationship. Taking care of each other. Having each others' backs. Because we're all in this together!