The Battles, The Cross, The Cost, The Irony.

People fought, and incessantly demanded their own way.
They believed they were the righteous ones.

They believed those who disagreed with their thoughts were unrighteous.

They wanted to stake their claim on power, to show their “rightness”.

They didn’t care to what end.

They didn’t care who got caught in the crossfires of their holy battles.

Love had no place in their ideologies, in their struggles for power.

There was no room for love while they were busy fighting the holy battles.

So they sacrificed love.

They sacrificed Him.

They killed Love, because they had to be certain their ways were right.

And in killing Love, they would know how right they were.

So He allowed it.

They let their own rightful thinking win out, they allowed themselves to be consumed with hatred and power, and they thought doing so would make them winners.

Still, He allowed it.

Not only did they sacrifice Love, but Love sacrificed itself.

And in doing so, Love was the message that ultimately won out.

The irony always astounds me…the irony that we think (still) today, that fighting and demanding, oppressing all who don’t think just like us, will usher in the Kingdom.

The battles....oh so many to name. Battles over religion, doctrine, gender, race, sexual preference, birth control, science, money, education, jobs…..the list of battles are endless….

As we sit back and see the battles. As we hear the hatred being said. As we view the oppression they cause. As we view the hearts broken all for a means to an end-- I hope each of us can look back, no matter our beliefs, and remember that in the end, we will absolutely consume one another if we choose to take part in the battles.

We can stand up and oppress all who disagree, picking up our Bibles and bashin’ heads, citing scripture after scripture of why we are so right….or we can love every person He created in His image, and take care of one another. Not only lavishly loving those who live out hatred, but loving those, bandaging those, helping to heal those who have wounds….who were caught amidst the battles of entitlement.

Even though it constantly happens, decade after decade, time after time, we can still choose to stand together in LOVE. We can join in the fight, and list all the reasons we need to be fighting, or we can choose love. Our lives, our words, our actions, our inactions will ultimately tell the tale of what we truly believe.

Take care, sweet humanity…me, you, every person we know….take care that we don’t choose to be consumed by hatred. It’s oh so easy, and oh so justifiable in the world we live in.

After all, He did mention those two “greatest” things we ought to follow….and I don’t remember fighting being mentioned.

Love is a powerful thing. Ultimately, it has already won…but there’s still that LARGE matter of it winning today, now, in the lives we have been given.

I hope we do our best to side with love, at every turn. Contrary to popular belief, our own ideas are NOT the end all of this life. Love echoes out, erasing the lines that have been drawn, embracing every sweet person who draws breath.

I hope we choose to live in a way that rings in beautifully with His echo that calls out to each of us.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. *Galatians 5:13-15*