Life is complicated. Love is not. Plain and simple, love is the foundation for our souls, lives, and salvation. So why do we make it so complex? I’m not talking about true love or romantic love, but the foundation of loving people, all people. Just simply, love.
I will be the first to admit, I often fall short in this practice. Loving everyone isn’t always easy. People can be rude, people can be annoying, people can be offensive, people can be challenging, but they’re living breathing human beings just like you and I. Imperfect, emotional, complex, broken, unique individuals seeking to be accepted and loved. So why do we deny each other our fundamental desire to be loved? Why do we tell others, whether it’s directly or indirectly, they’re not enough or not worthy? Does it make us feel better about ourselves and our worth? Maybe, but it’s a horrible habit that needs to be broken.
We already live in such a shattered world, filling it with more judgment and hate will only lead to more loneliness and exclusion. In the last few decades, leaders have made such amazing strides towards tolerance and acceptance for all people. In the United States, it was only fifty-five years ago that The Civil Rights Act was amended and legally ended segregation. Twenty-nine years ago, The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed formally recognizing people with mental and physical disabilities as part of society. Ten years ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African American president and six years later, Gay Marriage was legalized. These are all monumental events to be celebrated for the progress they have made towards tolerance and acceptance of people, but also seen as motivators to continue improving our world for everyone in it.
Have you heard anyone say something like this? “I love and accept all people, but I don’t agree with their __________ (political views, sexuality, religion, race, gender, nationality, etc.)” My question is, why do we feel the need to include a “but”? I firmly believe the second half of this statement should be omitted. If we truly want to love people, it should be “I love and accept all people,” plain and simple, no ifs ands or buts.
The funny thing is, love isn’t hard. Humans make love complicated. We get in the way of our own happiness and hurt others along the way. Just because someone looks different, has differing views and beliefs, or speaks differently, doesn’t mean they're not worthy of our love. It means they actually need it more.
When we categorize people by their religion, gender, sexuality, political parties, nationality, etc. it causes us to view people as “other” or “different”, which creates a tendency for isolation and intolerance. It’s the me vs them mentality that is so toxic and detrimental to the growth and progress of tolerance and acceptance in society.
Isolation and judgment comes from ignorance and intolerance. So you say you don’t agree with their lifestyle, views, or beliefs? Well, have you taken the chance to sit down with them and hear their side? If the answer is no, I challenge you to take the opportunity when you can. It’s truly a gift to be challenged by others, to step out of your comfort zone, and hear someone’s story. But if the answer is yes, was your heart fully open to loving them and hearing what they had to say? The key is to listen intently and without judgment, don’t interrupt, just listen. We all have our biases and are not going to agree with everyone in this life, but we need to challenge ourselves to lay down our shields and let each other in. We will never be able to accept one another if we don’t open our hearts and allow people to come in and reshape them.
Love is simple. We ALL are loved by the One who created us, no ifs ands or buts. So why do we feel the need to place those restrictions on one another?
If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
So let’s take time to place our biases aside and love each other the way we were created to, simply and fully.