"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."-Proverbs 15:1
I've noticed things getting a little heated on my Facebook wall the past couple of weeks as our political leaders have wrestled with how to handle some of the (I can only hope) unforeseen consequences of our immigration policies.*
I've long believed that vigorous debate is healthy. That's true in politics. That's true in theology. That's true in life.
But let's keep it civil.
I've lost count of how many times the last week or so I've read a Facebook post that said, "If you believe _____________, please go ahead and unfriend me" or "don't ever talk to me again if you think _______________."
And it's coming from both sides of any given issue. Unfortunately, it's even coming from those who follow Jesus Christ.
We don't make the world any better by cutting people out of our lives when they act ugly or say ugly things.
We might, though, if when we see them, we love them, pray for them, confront them if we have that kind of relationship with them, and -- most importantly -- let them see by our lives what it looks like to walk in love.
How do you know that you're not the person God wants to use to show someone a better way?
Jesus, friend of sinners, we've all said, done, and believed some ugly, wrongheaded things from time to time. Forgive us and help us to #LoveOneAnother as you've commanded.
*Those who know me know that I have a definite opinion and stance on immigration. They also know that I love them and that I welcome their friendship if they disagree with me. The same is true of any contentious issue. For those who don't know me, my stance is basically this: Our country, like any other country, has a right and responsibility to secure our borders, but we can do so in a way that is kind and even-handed. Current US immigration policy does not reflect the best ideals of this country that allowed my ancestors -- and many of your ancestors -- to come here legally. While we certainly must do what can be done to prevent those who intend to harm us from doing so, we can and should return to the ideals, summarized so beautifully in the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the base of our Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
After all, that sounds a lot like loving one another to me. But even if you take a different view, I'm not going to cut you out of my life. And I would encourage all of you to reconsider doing so to others.
Scott Rutherford is a freelance writer, editor, social media marketer/manager, and evangelist. He was a staff writer and executive editor for Metro Leader until that publication's closure in May 2018. His views and opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the publishers or anyone else who was involved with Metro Leader.