When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made this statement in his "I Have a Dream" speech, he was speaking to the American citizens on the topic of discrimination and racial equality in the United States of America. One form of discrimination is racism, which has been a problem in our country for far too long. Discrimination takes many forms, though...discrimination of age, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and the list goes on. Some people, myself included, like to think that discrimination is not as present as it has been in the past. But is this true, or just wishful thinking?
It seems that racism isn't as prevalent because we don't see black men and women being beaten to a pulp on the side of the road by police men. We don't see fire hoses being sprayed full force at people of color. And we don't see blacks being arrested because they refuse to give up their seat on a bus like the admirable Rosa Parks. However, discrimination IS still an issue, whether we'd like to admit it or not. I know more people than I'd like to admit that have some sort of "issue" with African Americans, or just Africans in general, as well as people of other races and ethnicities. The sad part is that many of these people call themselves Christians.
I just finished reading a chapter of a book that reminds us that God instructs us to LOVE our neighbors. He doesn't tell us to love our neighbors if we feel like it, or to only love people who are white, or to only love people who are easy to love. He tells us to love EVERYONE. Christians, non-Christians, blacks, whites, Mexicans, Muslims, Buddhists, homosexuals, orphans, widows, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, back-stabbers, murderers, friends, family, our enemies, and all other categories that I have not listed. We are called to love everyone in the same way that God the Father has loved us...unconditionally! God even tells us in 1 John 4:20, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." He calls us LIARS if we consider ourselves Christians who love the Lord, but hate another human being. What a powerful message.
I want to challenge myself, and those of you who read this post, to take action and do what the Lord instructs us to do. To love those who are difficult to love, and to love those who we have a tendency of disliking. Whether it's people of a particular race or ethnicity, or people who are of our own race that discriminate against others. Love people of all ages - from infants to the elderly. Love homosexuals as well as non-homosexuals. Take the initiative of loving the individual who has a major attitude problem, and love those who appear to not want anything to do with you. Smother people with God's love. They will have no choice but to show love in return because they will see God shining through you. Don't be the liar that God describes in 1 John 4:20, instead show God's love to everyone you encounter!
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