Yes, I know. I initially made the typo and then I was like…hey, that’s kind of interesting. This post can tow that last post into dock, as it were. So that’s what that’s about.
Anyway, now that I’ve somewhat calmed down out of the frustratomode, what I’m trying to say is this.
If I am not loving the people I am angry at, I am not doing my job as a Christian.
And we know from I Cor. 13 (that poor overquoted, misquoted little passage that gets trotted out at weddings and then put away again too quickly) what a picture of love IS:
1. Love is patient
Love does not ask “where are the new jobs? Why aren’t your tax cuts working? Why are you killing all the sick people?”
2. Love is kind
Kindness does not call other people stupid or Rethuglican or Dumbocrat or whatever low words we’re using for our fellow man these days.
3. Love does not envy
Class warfare and the fomenting of it does not constitute love. Railing against the wealth of the 1%, against the corporations…this is envy.
4. Love does not boast
“Hah, the other guy did something stupid” is a sort of boast, I think. A mocking boast.
5. It does not dishonour others
See above. See also all the claims that X kills people or Y steals money.
6. It is not self-seeking
Since so much of politics is about how we want things to be, it bears thought to ponder what the world would be like if we stopped doing that and started thinking about others first. All others. Not just the poor at the expense of the rich or the rich at the expense of the poor or the ourselves at the expense of soldiers’ lives.
7. It is not easily angered
People are going to say things that upset you. Keeping a check on that anger is Christ’s love in action. As hard as that is.
8. It keeps no record of wrongs
There are Christians who do and say things that make me angry in politics. And social construction. But remembering those things and holding them against those people isn’t God’s love. It’s a picture of my old nature. And it’s not a righteous anger, as much as I tell myself that it is.
9. Love does not delight in evil
There are so many places where this is applicable it’s not even funny. Ganging up on The President or Romney or Rush Limbaugh…like I just did and know that I shouldn’t have. That’s not good. I need to remember this A LOT MORE than I do.
10. It rejoices with the truth
Hard as it is to find truth in the mire of politics, it’s great to rejoice in the truth that Love is God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.
11.It always protects, trusts, hopes, perserveres
This is how I am going to attempt to approach the political. Am I protecting? Protecting my testimony? Protecting the Church? Am I trusting that God is in control of all things , including the outcome of this and all other elections? Am I HOPING that no matter the outcome the Lord will be served? Am I perservering, preaching the gospel in my life even though things do not seem to be “correct” to me?
I have so much work to do in all this.
Only one I kinda object to is #3. Some of it is envy, but some of it is legitimate criticism of a system set up to deliberately disadvantage people.
Also, looks like you forgot to close a <strong> tag.
Excellent post.
Yes, close tag alert.