A More Excellent Way

1)      Do you believe the world would be a better place if everyone shared your political and or ideological views?

2)      Do you want the world to be a better place?

3)      Will snobbery, condescension, insincerity, rudeness, stubbornness, lack of reason, or disrespect to those with opposing views help your cause?

There is a saying amongst Christians: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.  If I want to get people out of their troubles (addiction, fear, inner chaos, poverty) then I have to first love them.  I have to do more than quote scripture, share my testimony and repeat fancy sayings I heard from others.  I can’t be more interested in the sound of my own voice than the sound of hope in a wounded heart.  If I don’t give real food to the starving along with my spiritual food (Word of God), I am not showing love. If I only give cash to the homeless and don’t help them get off the streets, I am merely paying guilt and compassion to go away.  If I am not listening to the person who needs help, I really don’t want to help them.  I just want to appear righteous and loving without doing any of the work.

If I believe that hell is real and without Jesus people will go there, then I have to be sincere in my approach and speak in love.  I cannot show anger or hostility when they challenge my views.  I cannot get offended when they mock my beliefs.  And I cannot let pride get in the way of the other person’s well-being.  I have to love them the way the Bible defines love (1 Corinthians 13).  This is the more excellent way.

Both, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans would probably agree that their policies are the correct ones.  They would probably believe that their views are what is best for the country and therefore make it a ‘better’ place.   So if we want to make this a better place we have to learn to be nice to one another.  We have to listen to, politely discuss and be courteous to those who disagree with us, and not get mad when they don’t see it our way.  We have to challenge their reasoning and not their character.  Just because someone is pro-choice does not mean they are pro-murder.  And because someone is pro-life does not mean they are against women’s rights.  If someone thinks capitalism is a bad idea that does not mean they want fascism.  If someone believes capitalism is best, it doesn’t mean they are greedy vultures preying on the little guy.

We have a lot of problems and we need a lot of people to solve them. Pushing large amounts of the population away with rhetoric and snide comments only delays the solution.  Fixing the world takes people more concerned with solutions than winning arguments.   We have to listen to the views and process them, not just wait to attack.  Each side has hypocrites, liars and bad examples, and pointing the bad examples out, does not justify your own behavior.  Besides, judgment should start in our own houses first.

Without love, it doesn’t matter what you think you know.

A better world requires a better man.  A better man doesn’t trade tit for tat.  Isn’t our world worth it?