Love wins

As I was reflecting and reacting to the tragic news of what's happened in Paris and thinking of the people who suffered from the loss of those who have died, I was left feeling sad and somewhat perplexed. These were just everyday people enjoying a beautiful evening in a beautiful city – yet they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the aftermath, many people took to social media to express dissatisfaction on why certain other tragedies around the world had not received as much coverage as Paris. The media were criticised for being biased in their selection of news stories. “Why is the media not covering this?” was the expression of several updates on my Facebook feed. Facebook enabled people to change their profile photo to the French flag to reflect their sympathy for France. Though, many questioned whether people would have changed their photos to the Lebanese flag after the Beirut bombings the day before. Others questioned why we mourn someone else’s tragedy on social media in such great detail; a tragedy that we have no direct involvement in, and whether this was empathy or narcissism.

Personally, I did not change my photo, because I felt that it would cheapen or minimise the horrific reality of what is going on all around the world all the time. My heart is with the world- not just the ones who live near me. I have certainly been guilty of retreating to the safe ground of superiority, building a wall around myself, a wall of protection from engaging with what is on the 'outside', stayed in a mansion filled with others who think and talk the same way as I do. But I am on a journey of learning how to love well, to be a relational woman who is able to understand and love people, and be honest about life. The radical nature of Jesus’s teaching is that we are valued because we are children of God, whether female or male, slave or free, educated or not. We are never just economic units integrated into God’s business, but children adopted into his family, with a mandate to love and to serve. Not win.

Winning is an outcome. When we become obsessed with outcomes, we can lose sight of the journey; lose sight of who we are, how we got there, and lose appreciation for the value of the people who do not "win". It feels like the world seems obsessed with winning at everything. This translates from wars to the athletic arena to the top of the corporate ladder.

Many things about Jesus flies right in the face of what our culture says is important about winning. Sometimes Jesus’ words just jolt me awake because they are so offensive to the culture in which I live. In Luke 9:23, Jesus makes an extremely counter-cultural statement, when He says to possible disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” In a world where everything revolves around self —protect yourself, promote yourself, comfort yourself, and take care of yourself - Jesus says crucify yourself; put aside all self-preservation in order to live for God’s glorification, no matter what that means for you in the culture around you. From the very beginning, then, this kind of life involves going against the grain of the culture around us - and for that matter- within us.

For generations, followers of God have been told to love one another. They were even commanded to love strangers, foreigners and travellers. 

Jesus wanted followers that understood that love wasn’t always easy. It is actually really hard sometimes, and it may not always be safe. But it is always good. 

I understand why what has happened in Paris has received a different reaction to what happened the day before in Beirut for example. Something happening on the same continent is going to receive a different reaction, because it hits close to home. That is just how it is, and I totally understand that. But as Christians we are called beyond just caring about our immediate neighbours.

Sometimes I feel certain issues are “too difficult to think about”or I question what I could possibly have to say. But this is not the point; sometimes the most authentic response is just to open ourselves up to the suffering of other people, whether we have the answers or not because prayer is not always about solving problems. As Max Lucado writes, we live in a broken world in desperate need of a generation of people who will respond in faith to the fear of the current times. Every such battle ultimately is a spiritual battle, and a contest with the enemy and his forces, which we must acknowledge.

Yet the good news is that hatred may win some battles....but love always wins in the end.

Onto water.

I am sitting on my bed, looking out at the night sky, as I write.  

Lately lots of things seem to be falling into place, which I am thankful to God for. Yet amidst all the external stuff, I sense a quiet voice inside me beckoning me to deeper levels and higher heights. It feels like divine discontent. It's great to be at rest and content in whatever season we are in, but I also think we are born with innate desire to be fruitful and to live purpose filled lives. This inevitably involves a level of risk and fearlessness. This year I have met some wonderful people who have opened my eyes to new things – new ways of doing life and thinking about life. One of my colleagues is a former professional basketball player. Recently he was telling me about how he used to prepare himself for a game. He would spend hours watching games with his opponent, study their moves, and enact various strategies in his mind. Basically he had already played out the game in his mind before he ever set foot on the basketball court. It got me thinking about the art of preparation. It’s a paradox because I usually overdo it when preparing myself for certain things, and sometimes I don’t prepare myself enough. I haphazardly do it first and check later to see if I did it right, or if it came out well. I sometimes get in my own way, when it really matters, because maybe I want to remain in my comfort zone. It has taken me a while to accept that that I do not need any elaborate credentials to be used by God in the area of my gifting. All I have to do is have a heart for Him … and a willingness to get out of the boat.

I have in the past like Esther been situated in a place I did not want to be in. I like to think that God placed me there for a purpose. Esther was terrified at the thought of living in a Harem, but God was not worried. I can almost hear God saying “you got this, girrl”. God knew that she had the right heart and attitide to undergo this difficult process, although she doubted herself. No matter how insignificant we may feel, God never makes mistakes. The harem was Esther’s doorway to the throne. Without the training and preparation she received there, she would have never become a queen. Similarly, I have often found that the most difficult seasons of my life have proven to be doorways into times of incredible purpose. 

I am constantly looking for something new to achieve. I want to be a part of something bigger. I have found no reason to disconnect my intellect in order to believe what the bible teaches, but have instead found that the more science I embrace, the more I understand the claims of my faith.

I doubt. I listen. I walk away. I come back. I marvel. I sing. I receive answers to prayers. I am met with silence. Living out my faith day by day is an adventure that can feel random. I interact with people for moments at a time and attempt to say something, that may be encouraging; I have conversations with children at work, and perhaps I share just a bit of my faith with that taxi driver. One thing I know for certain. It is not possible to remain in the maze of mediocrity and simultaneously live for something bigger than myself. Discovering and living my purpose is an adventure that involves risk. Like Esther, responding to God’s call to fulfil my purpose in life requires me to journey beyond the boundaries of my comfort zone. Jesus never seemed to hesitate in telling people to leave their familiar lives for the unfamiliar path of following him.