You're Rad!

It’s difficult to talk about radical love. 

Can I just stop there?  Shortest blog in the history of ever.  That statement feels like enough for me, especially within the safety of my own head and soul.  Yet it feels like hiding.  It feels like I am not taking a stand for what I really believe in. 

And Why?

I read an article recently about a woman who lives in New York and was hiding her faith from her friends.  Her friends were not spiritually inclined people and thus she felt she would be judged.  Sometimes I feel that way but with other believers.  If I don’t conform to the beliefs of my family, friends, or fellow Christians I will be told I am wrong, liberal, unbiblical, or corrupted. 

It’s fear that keeps us quiet. 

But I am tired.  I am (almost) 30 and the burden of unshared joy is difficult for a heart to bear.  Though I realize this experience is part of the process, it is one that I want to rage against.  I sincerely just don’t want to deal with it. 

And all the while I am being taught.  (One of those paradoxical life things)

I believe in the radical power of love.

The greatest teacher of this principle for me is Jesus.  The thing I’ve learned about love is that it’s difficult and people seldom behave in ways worthy of it (including myself).  I’ve told my husband that I don’t treat him well because his actions dictate that he deserves it.  I treat him well because of my submission and belief that God desires for his servants to strive for love.  So what that means is that I am challenged to love even when my husband is way less than loveable.  Even when all I really want to do is assert my ego, yell, and dominate the situation.  Which, I still sometimes do (being human and all), and then I find myself dealing with the unhelpfulness afterwards. 

Truthfully, my husband is much easier to love than the person posting ignorance on Facebook, or the Christian that just disowned their gay child, or the family member that is very judgmental, or the selfish friend, or the random person who almost killed you in traffic, or the lady at the park screaming at her kids, basically anybody else that doesn’t align with the way I believe a good life is lived. We can think of so many reasons why they justifiably don’t deserve our smile little lone our love!

But, they do. 

As Richard Rohr says,

“Very often the reason that people make great mistakes is because they never heard what Jesus heard (after his baptism).  They never heard another human voice, much less a voice from heaven say to them,

“You are a beloved Son

You are a beloved Daughter

And in you I am very well pleased.”

If you’ve never had anyone believe in you, take delight in you, affirm you, call you beloved, you don’t have anywhere to begin.  There’s nothing beautiful and wonderful to start with and so you spend your whole life trying to say those words to yourself, “I’m okay, I’m wonderful, I’m great”, but you don’t believe it.”

Rohr goes on to say that the voice of love always has to come from someone greater than ourselves.  Which, I believe means someone who we perceive as wiser, someone whose opinion carries weight.  The Gospels (aka The Good News) wasn’t written so that we could walk around comparing ourselves to each other and casting out those who we perceive are less than us (way to easy).  How is that good news anyways?! 

It was written as an example of love. 

I believe in telling people they are loved.

I believe that when we are persistent in this that a difference is made.

I believe that everyone is a child of God.

I believe that no matter what you have done in your life you are still a beloved son or a beloved daughter of God.

And I believe it is the most unfortunate thing when we let our “perceived” differences keep us from relationship with one another.

“We couldn't get outside our particular denominational formulas. I called it "homosectarianism", a same "sect" relationship.”

                 -Carlton Phillips-

It’s sad to me that radical love is something Christians don’t like to talk about.  We question often and wonder what we are supporting if we love someone who doesn’t believe, live, or act like us.  To that sort of thinking (and there is a lot out there) I say remember that every one of us is in the process of becoming and so are you.  And if you believe you have some wisdom you want to share with others start with love.  Because we all need a foundation from which to grow from and love is a damn good one. 

Blessings.