Contention

"Us/Them, Black/White, Wrong/Right, Left/right, Republican/Democrat,Catholic/Protestant, Christian/Muslim, Beautiful/Ugly,......etc.

We live is a two-sided world or so it seems. We must choose sides, or so it seems. But what if we don't. What if we simply accept what is at face value and love what is. I don't have to choose to be you enemy, instead I choose to be your friend. I choose to love you as you are for who you are, just like God does. I will not let you be a "Them" instead I will love you and get to know you as an "us".

The other day I had so much fun with someone who if you looked at our different political stances you would think this would not have been possible. However we both even teased each other about those differences. The difference was we both accepted each other and respected each other for who we are. We did not devalue each other because of any differences. We recognized we had more in common than not in common. We enjoyed the company of each other. This is rare.

Most people who differ from me or I from them want to make an issue out of these differences. They want to point out the error of my ways. They want to change me or kill me in the process and sometimes before it is over, the latter is their preferred choice. This is only a small exaggeration. Wars, feuds and battles are all fought over such differences.

This is why Jesus, COMMANDED (emphasis on purpose) us NOT to judge. Because he understood that a people who judge cannot Love! Judgment focuses on differences, Love focuses on unity.

Human nature likes to label, compare, judge. We say someone is beautiful because we have an idea of what ugly is. However God sees the good in all. Because God sees his own image, his own beauty in each one. We need to look for the same. Yes we each are unique and differ in various ways. But we also have the same creator's imprint and divine spark within each of us. Let's celebrate the diversity and the divinity in each of us. This is pleasing to God and will promote unity and peace in all of our lives.