Love Your Neighbor. Period.

I’m angry, y’all.  I’m angry that our country is going down the toilet.  I’m angry that my Church has to deal with more scandal.  I’m angry that there is still racism in this world.  I’m angry that minorities and women are still treated differently and paid differently. I’m tired of “Christians” treating people horribly.  It’s almost 2019 and we are still doing today the same things that we were doing 60 years ago, 100 years ago, 500 years ago, 2000 years ago, and beyond.

I read the Old Testament and the New Testament and God is trying to get people to do the right thing.  He created us to be better, but he gave us free will, so we aren’t. We aren’t better.  In fact, I would go so far to say we are worse.  He gave us brains, but we don’t use them.  He gave us the knowledge of right and wrong.  He gave us everything and we just push it away.  Ultimately, he gave us his Son, who gave his life for us, to cleanse us from sin, but what are we doing?  We keep sinning.

Now—I’m not trying to make this a religious debate.  But, we need to look at what is right and what is wrong.  Jesus said “love your neighbor.”  He didn’t qualify that with anything, not color, religion, race, creed, geography.  “Love your neighbor.” 

It’s simple really . . . everyone is your neighbor.  The guy next door who cuts his grass at 6:00 am, on Saturday, when you are trying to sleep. The lady the grocery store who is trying to keep her kids in line, when they are all having meltdowns.  The jerk who cut you off on the freeway and then flipped you off, because he thinks he’s right.  The people in the next town, the next state, across the country, the other side of the world.  These people are your neighbors.

The lady who paid for your meal in the drive-thru lane ahead of you.  The guy who helped you pick up all your papers when they went flying from your arms.  The young man who donated his bone marrow and you’ve never even met him, but his donation kept you alive.  The service men and women who leave their families behind so that their families and yours can sleep safely at night.  The villagers in remote locations who welcome with open arms those who can help them to help themselves.  These people are your neighbors.

So, when Jesus said, “Love your neighbor,” these are the people he is talking about.  Is it really that hard?  Maybe, maybe not.  But here’s what is hard.  Love your neighbor . . . your black neighbor, your Muslim neighbor, your female neighbor, your transgender neighbor, your gay neighbor, your redneck neighbor, and yes . . . your terrorist neighbor.  We may not like them, but we must love them.  It’s hard, depending upon your own fears, to love your neighbor.

So, here it is.  I’m angry that so many people don’t love their neighbor that they do horrible things.  I’m angry that you can’t go to the movies, concerts, the park, worship service without worrying that you might just get shot.  I’m angry that when these things happen, the first things that pop up are gun control and religion.  I’m angry that we can’t have a dialogue without spewing vitriol hatred toward each other.  I’m angry that we can’t fix it. And, I’m really angry that it seems to be condoned and even cheered from our country’s “leaders.”

I put leaders in quotes, because I don’t think they are leading.  I’m not just talking about the President and his cronies.  I’m talking about every single person who is supposed to be looking out for the welfare of this country and its citizens.  I’m tired of party lines.  I’m tired of Democrat vs. Republican.  I’m tired of Christian vs. Muslim vs. Jew vs. Atheist.  I’m tired, y’all.

We have to fix it.  I don’t have the answers, but I do know that the answers don’t lie in the rhetoric that is spewed day in and day out on the news, on social media, in the streets. It starts with you and me.  We have to make it better.  We have to take a stand.  We have to make it right. We have to love our neighbors.