I’d Rather Have Hope

Posted on Jun 1, 2023 in Uncategorized |

It breaks my heart when people feel like I don’t love them because we disagree. After all, if I only love those who share my beliefs, views, opinions, and preferences, am I really showing the love of Jesus? Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus went to the cross in our place, and took on the punishment that we deserved, He lived out the greatest love the world has ever known. And it was not because we earned or deserved His love. It was certainly not because we agreed with Him on everything. In fact, while we were still sinners—enemies of God—Jesus died for us. He showed love that was not based on a feeling, but on an act of the will, a resolve to put the welfare of others above His own.

Consider a few more examples of love from the Bible:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. (Proverbs 25:21)

Along with those verses, Jesus spoke the words recorded in the first part of Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus prayed those words while He was dying on the cross; He said them for the Roman soldiers who spit on Him, beat Him, whipped Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, and nailed Him to the cross. He said them for the criminals on the crosses beside Him, who jeered at Him. He said them for the religious leaders who mocked Him. And He said them for the angry mob that called for His crucifixion. For all of them, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them.”

Based on the life and death of Jesus, love is not contingent upon agreeing with someone else. If it is, then it’s only a conditional type of love. We receive (and give) conditional love all the time, don’t we? Christian counselor Kegan Mosier offered a few examples from the social media world in which we live: “I love you… until you offend me. I love you… until you don’t support my cause. I love you… only if you love me back.”

Mosier also shared, “We must learn how to have face-to-face, real life, in-person conversations with other humans whom we most likely disagree with while, at the same time, demonstrate the love of Jesus.” And when we do that, it’s not about winning or influencing a debate; it’s about loving the person in front of us.

Personally, I also need to remember that a gloomy, hopeless attitude will make it very difficult to show the love of Jesus. People expect Christians to trust God and to be hopeful despite their circumstances. If I don’t live that way, why would others want to follow Jesus? Plus, I think I’d rather have hope for somebody or something for the rest of my life (even if the hope is never realized), than to resign myself to a mindset that anyone or anything is a lost cause, beyond redemption.

Unconditional love is different from unconditional agreement. I can love and accept you, regardless of your stance on any controversial issue (and you can do the same for me), and that doesn’t mean we have to agree. But we do have to treat each other with kindness, respect, and dignity.

Troy Burns