How Division is Tearing Down America and Souls

This week I've had something rolling around in my brain that I simply can't let go of. It is the spirit of division and the things that divide us as human beings.

I am approaching the ripe age of 40 years young and have become pretty defined in what I believe. I'm open to new things, but my basic belief system is in place and I'm going to be hard to budge. Many of my friends and acquaintances are in the same boat. However, their beliefs and thoughts may be very different from mine. And, sometimes those beliefs divide us.

The basic division symbol in math represents it best: one is on the top, and one is on the bottom. But, if we are really loving people, we are standing together, not divided. 

From the beginning of time, people have been divided. The issues may have changed, but division was there. Today the big defining things seem to be: Republican vs. Democrat. Pro life vs. Pro Choice. Men vs. Women. Homeschool vs. Public School. Christian vs. Atheist.  Liberal vs. Conservative. And the list goes on and on. Honestly, I'm sick of it.

These "issues", while important, are still just issues. The issues are NOT people. People are more than an issue. Yet, we allow these things to divide us. This separates us as human beings. Isolates us from one another. And, we only feel comfortable around people who believe the same things as we believe.

Maybe it is the political climate as we approach the 2012 election of a new president that has me stirred up. Seeing people bash each other in commercials and fight it out on face book has me sick to my stomach. Even Christians are in the heat of the battle, and rightfully so as we have interests to protect. But the thing that will tear this country down quicker than a nuclear bomb is division. And we are well on our way to being so divided against ourselves, that we might as well declare war on each other. After all, we act more like waring countries than we do One Nation Under God.

We are called to love all people. ALL PEOPLE! Regardless of what they believe, their sexual preference, or the color of their skin. We don't have to practice what others practice or believe what they believe, but do not forget people are human beings. It was important to Jesus and it should be important to us.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:7-9 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 

The reason the greatest of these is love is because Jesus didn't want us getting tripped up over issues and hating our neighbor because he voted differently than we did. Remember, there is nothing new under the sun.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-10

God knows what is going on. He knows the political climate. He knows our nation is in moral decline. He knows! But, he has still called us to love our neighbor as our self.

So, I challenge you today. Invite a co-worker to lunch that doesn't see eye to eye with you. Call an old relative that you stopped speaking to years ago. Call that high school buddy you lost track of a long time ago because they went a different direction.  If you really want to watch the devil squirm, repair a broken relationship. How? Just remember they are a human not an issue.

This one is old school! Kids, Dolly Pardon sang it first. :)