We Gotta Pay Attention
It’s hard to pay attention to something (or someone) you’re not close to. Closeness invites attention.
God is the creator of all human beings, with all their differences, their colors, their races, their religions. Be attentive: Every time you draw nearer to your neighbor, you draw nearer to God. Be attentive: Every time you go farther from your neighbor, you go farther from God.
—Saint Dorotheos of Gaza
Wow.
This is particularly convicting in our day because we have become so damn gifted at villainizing the other side. Whether it’s the other political party, the other faith, the other quarterback, the other skin color, the other sexual orientation, the other…
It’s as if we’ve become so hyped-up on detailing all the reasons why the other is our enemy that we completely forgot Jesus’ command to love our enemies. And neighbors. And brothers. Everyone, really. The command is to love.
“Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness;
and bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another;
but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.” —Isaac Pennington
We gotta pay attention.
Tom Berlin said, “Being church means moving from the fortified position of… Read More