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"We wait for people to think like us, act like us, believe like us, and behave like us; and when they do, we are kind to them."

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson, (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard About (Kindle Locations 1180-1181). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

We do that because that is how we have been taught at home or even at church.  Now I understand that comes from our insecurity.  Anyone who is different from us makes us uncomfortable.  I understand that.  But that is not what Christ did.  

Let’s say you watch CNN News and you sit at Starbucks with someone who you find out likes Fox News.  Do you start up a conversation or do you move?  What if you are straight and you find out they are gay, what do you do then?  Or you don’t go to church but they do?  Or they are pierced all over the place but you aren’t?  Or you find out she had an abortion and you just got back from picketing an abortion clinic?  Or they believe if you love each other you don’t need to ever be married but you believe it is the next step after you say you love each other?  Or they are Jewish and you are a Catholic?  Or you are an Evangelical born again Christian and they are a Mormon?  Or you are a Jew on your mother’s side and she is a Samaritan?  

Listen, Jesus took the time and effort to ask that Samaritan women questions about her life and what she was going through.  He stepped across the prejudice, the uncomfortable barrier and showed kindness by being interested in her without condemning her and rejecting her.  How can we follow someone like that and react totally different to people not like us, who think different than we do, who believe some weird things?  How can we follow someone like that who expects us to react the way He did?  Maybe the problem is He’s in our thoughts but not in our hearts.  It takes His love inside us to react to people who are different from us.

It starts with asking Him to come into our heart and to ask Him to let His love flow through us.  Then it takes work.  It takes striving to see people as Jesus sees them.  He died for that person who loves Obama and He loves that person who hates Obama.  He died for that person who is gay and that person who is straight.  He died for that atheist and He died for that Christ-follower.  In other words He died for you no matter who you are and He died for that person who makes you feel uncomfortable.  He loves them so if He is in me, then I will love them too! 

This is one of the simplest ways to see if His love is inside of me.  How do I treat those who are different from me?  How do you?   
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