#Blacklivesmatter #Bluelivesmatter #AllLivesmatter
These hashtags meant to raise awareness are causing division.
Our world is fueled by hate and crashes in a head on collision.
Should we sing about the land of the brave, or should we bow our head and take a knee?
Soldiers fought for this country, so that we can have freedom of speech. But so many are questioning if this land is really free.
T-shirts saying Screw Trump and hats saying Make America Great.
Social media is filled with arguments and debates, we share our opinions but it only creates more hate.
Is America full of illegal immigrants or is it full of cruel hearts?
We need to start appreciating each other’s differences instead of letting them tear us apart.
If we really want to make America great again, let’s fix our eyes on the God above.
Leave behind all the hate, and start a protest for love.
"In order to end the hate and achieve world peace it requires more than a tweet."
If you had three wishes what would they be? Money, love, happiness? I almost forgot…world peace! Everyone claims to want “world peace”, but how many of us actually try to make it a reality? We create all these hashtags and post pictures saying, “Pray for Vegas” “Pray for Paris;” some of us even go as far as writing a nice little caption under the picture. Then we stop, a week goes by and rarely anyone talks about it anymore. In order to end the hate and achieve world peace it requires more than a tweet. We need to stop asking what race the shooter was, stop judging people because they’re gay, transgender or straight, stop turning Christians and Atheist against each other, stop caring so much about Republicans vs. Democrats…and start loving. We must start showing the same type of love and kindness to everyone without judgment or discrimination. Don’t try and point the finger at who you think is to blame for all the evil in the world. It’s not Trump’s fault or Obama’s, it’s not the LGBT group’s fault, it is not a race problem; the world is where it’s at now due to a heart problem! I genuinely believe that we can solve that problem by showing love and kindness every chance we get…because love conquers all, and love has always been stronger than hate.
"...you don’t have to do something remarkable to make a difference, just start by loving God and loving others."
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself”, this saying has become such a cliché that we tend to forget that it is actually a commandment from God. In Matthew 22:35-40, the prophets of the law questioned Jesus by asking him what the greatest commandment was. Jesus’ response was profound, instead of only responding with the obvious answer of loving God he included loving people, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself ‘. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Now why would He choose that commandment to be the second greatest, why didn’t he choose “do not murder” or “do not commit adultery?” Well, it’s just what he said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,” if you love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself, you won’t be compelled to murder, commit adultery, or steal. Truly loving people with the same love you have for God and yourself, prevents you from breaking the rest of the commandments because you never intentionally hurt the people you love. If all the chaos going on in the world breaks your heart, you don’t have to do something remarkable to make a difference, just start by loving God and loving others.
"God does not pick and choose whom He’s going to love, and neither should we."
It’s not that easy though is it? How do you love someone that hurt you, someone that broke you? Instead of the philosophy, “hurt people hurt people” being an encouragement to have compassion for others, it has become an excuse to retaliate, simply because we were hurt first. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”(Matthew 5:43). As Christians we are supposed to strive to live a life that reflects God, but we are also called to love others, the way that He loves us. As Matthew 5 continues, it talks about how God shines light on the evil and the good, he sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. God does not pick and choose whom He’s going to love, and neither should we. It’s easy to love those who are kind to you, but what separates you from the rest of the world is if you make the choice to love the ones that have hurt you, to forgive them when it’s undeserved.
"After months of going to court, on sentencing day the man walked up to the stand and looked his sister’s killer in the eyes and said..."
As Jesus hung on the cross with thorns piercing his head and nails in his feet, He prayed for the people that mocked him while He suffocated to death, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus had so much love in His heart that He was able to forgive the ones that killed Him. Now let me tell you a story of someone who reflected Jesus’ love and was able to forgive, despite how much pain they were in.
There was a boy who grew up in an abusive foster home with his two sisters. Eventually they all made it out; in fact the boy defied the odds and became a successful man with a loving family. One day after his daughter’s soccer game, while he was in the car with his wife and kids, he got a phone call that his sister had been killed by her boyfriend. After months of going to court, on sentencing day the man walked up to the stand and looked his sister’s killer in the eyes and said, “Even though you did not show my sister or my family any mercy I pray that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will show you mercy.” That man was my dad, Calvin Smith, and that story inspires me everyday to love and forgive those that have caused me pain. I know that if my dad could forgive, than so can I, and I hope his story encourages you to do the same.
"When hate is loud, love cannot fall silent"
When hate is loud, love cannot fall silent and that’s why I’m starting a protest for love…feel free to join me. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” - 1 Corinthians 13:2
