Back in my younger days, I was quite the close-minded conservative. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that although I preached the message of Jesus' salvation, I wasn't very good at following in his footsteps. Instead of befriending people of every profession, with every fault and weakness, I would say, "I'll pray for you," and start lamenting their poor, ignorant lives as soon as I turned away.
Okay, well, that may be exaggerating a bit. But still... I am a completely different person today, which makes "old me" look all the judgier. (It's not a word, I know, but say it out loud. Go on. It's a fun sound, isn't it? Judgier. Tee hee hee.)
Today, I am a bleeding-heart liberal, no doubt about it. Don't get me wrong, I am still a Christian and I'll tell you about my faith if you ask me. But instead of throwing my faith in your face, I instead just try to live like Jesus. And his entire life was about love. Love through service, love through hospitality, love through caring compassion. So that's what I'm about. I'm all about the love.
Or am I?
Yesterday, I came across an op-ed piece in the Seattle Times that rocked my worldview. I was drinking my coffee and tossing waffle bites to Kel when I came across this headline:
With just these six words, Nicholas Christof poked his editorial finger right into my chest. In my effort to clearly identify myself with the liberal crowd, I have set myself apart from the evangelical community to the point of judgment. I have forgotten all the amazing things that the evangelicals - those "crazy Christians" - do in our world to combat poverty, hunger, disease, and more. Instead, I put them all into the same little box as "old me." But Christof reminds me that, if I put the nation's evangelicals into that box, I have swung my gavel of judgment once more. So it's time for me to "take a fix" on my worldview.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and the CDR will be underway. So this year, YOU are my Valentine. If I'm really all about the love, then it's time for me to start truly living the life: Love through service, hospitality, caring compassion, and tolerance for everyone, even those "crazy Christians." Won't you be my Valentine?
