A House Divided
If you live in the US, (or enjoy reality TV shows) you probably watched the presidential debate last evening.
Can I just say, wow, that was tragic. No matter what side of the stage you were rooting for, I think it is safe to say, nobody really won here, neither opponent, nor the American people. I think we can all look at what happened and agree, this is a huge reason we are so divided as a nation.
But don’t worry, discussing politics is the last thing I want to dive into. That roller coaster is too much for me to handle!
But, it did dawn on me, as I was reflecting over last night’s events, a divided house will never stand.
When I began this blog site, I made it very clear my intentions were not to divide, but bring to light the real life consequences of how we treat people.
I have said this over and over, and I will say it again, yes, I am mostly addressing the religious organization I grew up in, because that is what I know. It would be irresponsible of me to talk about subjects I have no first hand knowledge of.
I ran across a Facebook post the other day about a woman who had left the UPC. Her appearance has obviously changed since leaving and she is having fun experimenting with looks she never got to try before. While she was at the store, minding her own business, a clearly UPC or other like faith woman loudly spoke negatively of this woman’s appearance. The ex-UPC woman handled the judgment graciously and left the store.
I shared her story on my Facebook page, others I know did as well, and the response was disheartening. I actually saw people either discrediting this woman’s story, or supporting the woman judging! I really don’t know why this shocked me so much, it really shouldn’t have. I have seen it time and time again.But there it is, the cancer that is eating away at Christians everywhere.
I am guilty of it, you are guilty of it. When we hear of someone who is supposed to be on our “side” acting in a way that was hurtful to others, it takes a lot of effort to stop our own emotions dead in their tracks and look at the situation from the viewpoint of the other party. It is difficult to dismantle our own biases and see things objectively.
The first thing we as humans want to do is get defensive. “No way someone from our ‘side’ could’ve done something like that!” We try to discredit the other party, justify the reaction of our ally, or even victim blame by saying that person was asking for it in some way.
Why is this?
I can tell you from personal experience, I don’t believe the woman who was ridiculed was lying. If you think she was, I encourage you to read some other blogs of those who have left the UPC, watch some of their YouTube channels, read their books. It may surprise you how common this reaction actually is. Would it shock you to know there are actually support groups and specialized therapists for people who left the UPC and other similar religious organizations? There is a legitimate reason for them.
Do those things make you angry? They should! They should make everyone on all “sides” so angry we all start a revolution! A revolution of love.
Love is the only salve that can heal.
Does it really matter if a person dresses differently than you? Does it really matter if they have brown hair or purple hair? What if they are a different political party? A different race? How about if they left your church to attend another? Or are a different religion all together? Or no religion at all?
How do we handle such controversial differences? These beliefs are personal to us.
How did Christ handle them? Jesus said out of our hearts our mouths speak, and we will be justified by our words and also condemned by our words. Remember the parable of the good Samaritan? Which one of those characters do you want to be? Those who snubbed their nose at someone who wasn’t on their “side” or someone who sees people for who they are, and helps them on their journey regardless of their differences.
It is scary to me how quickly we are able to defend our allies no matter their behavior and dismiss those we view as against us.
We will never succeed without unity. And unity will never be accomplished without love.
A house divided will never stand.
Finding My Freedom, Doing My Life 
We really are living in a divided world. It’s so easy to take a moment to show someone that they are loved. But everyone is too busy. I think it would be helpful if we weeded out some of the distractions and media. And got back to a simpler and more grounded way of living. Everyone is on the edge and ready to snap these days.
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