Our youngest daughter shoots competitively...BB guns, .22, shotgun, muzzleloader, etc. Last night was the huge fundraising banquet for the kids. The people in our club come from all walks of life and they're all good people. As parents we have the opportunity to be on our feet all evening at different places working to make things run smoothly. Of course that provides the chance for us to talk and get to know know another a little bit better. I'm known at the club as the "liberal." The one who voted for Hillary. It was no surprise that for my shoe choice last night I selected my Pride Chuck Taylor's! I mean, who really looks at your feet; it's my small way to show my belief. Last night I had two conversations that really stood out and both reminded me exactly how crazy blessed I am!
The first conversation began very casually because our kids attend a local church youth group together and I understood their family had left the church (that particular congregation has posted the "no guns" signs). This parent went on to explain that it wasn't just the no guns but it was also the fact that said congregation was too "liberal" in their teaching and beliefs. They went on to explain all the things they disagreed with. I stood there listening with the occasional "yeah," "uh-huh," or "that must have been really hard for you." After finishing, they asked about my church, my response was, "if their church was too liberal for you then you probably shouldn't stop at our church." I casually stuck out my foot and glanced down at my shoes, he responded with "Oh, I see." I don't think any less of this parent, I simply reserve the right to believe differently.
The next conversation was a little different. This parent mentioned that they had been on the road during their Sunday services so they listened to the live stream. Their pastor had spoken based on a passage in Acts, he told his congregation that, "if we as Christians are better known for what we are against or who we don't like or things we disagree with than who we help or what we do for our community or how we love others there is a problem." I chuckled in total agreement. We can raise our children to be positive, Godly people without them being derogatory or hateful to anyone. We continued to visit about respecting differences and loving all, striving to quietly live so when others see Jesus in us, they'll want the peace, love and joy (shalom even) that we have in our lives.
I love these folks, alike. We continued to spend the rest of the evening working, alike. We will journey toward our common goal, alike. We will be good, honest, hardworking people, alike. In the end, it's not about liberal, progressive, conservative, democrat, tea party, republican, black, white, gay, straight, Baptist, Methodist, Muslim, Jew or any other descriptions that emphasize our differences. It is about the fact we are humanity, persons all living together on this planet, finding commonality in our differences and accepting we all have the right to exist...coexist. If we're here together we should strive to love, even when we don't believe alike. We are all crazy blessed, alike.
"Our world is like a puzzle, if we don't accept the differences between us...we will never be able to achieve peace."
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