I am a registered democrat. And having read that, have you formulated an idea of who I am, what I believe, and how I behave? What if I had said I am a registered republican? Would your idea of who I am, what I believe, and how I behave be different?
We want the world to be black and white. We want it all to be simple. If X, then Y. That might work in math, but it certainly doesn’t work in physics. Just ask anyone who is involved in quantum mechanics. What we can be certain of is that we cannot be certain.
And that is true of humanity. I am so much more than my political affiliation, or my religious affiliation. I do not blindly play follow the leader. I read, I investigate, I look at varying opinions and check out the research. In some things I agree with my democratic friends, in some things I agree with my republican friends, and in some things I agree with my Christian friends. But I also have my own opinions on most things.
I am so much more than my gender identity, my marital status, or my ethnicity. Those things describe aspects of me but tell you nothing about who I am or what I believe. There is a reason we are taught not to judge one another. My parents always said to me, (and I know it is not politically correct in today’s world) “don’t judge someone else until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.” In the bible, Jesus framed it as “if someone forces you to walk with him a mile, walk with him two instead.” In other words, do the unexpected and lean into experiencing the other person’s life. Even when forced to do so, which is the most incredible part of that statement. Jesus obviously was not talking about a friend who is asking you to go for a walk.
What about you? Who in your life elicits the most immediate judgement? And how well do you know them? I will admit, there are times when we have to let people go. And there are also many more times that I see someone, and just their appearance will cause me to make a judgement on who they are. I fight that instinct with every fiber of my being. I stop it as soon as I am aware of the thoughts. The truth is, I do not know what you are going through today, or what you have been through in your life. And until I have taken the time to get to know you, I have no right to categorize you.
We need to live life with intention. With the intent of being kind, loving, and merciful. The type of love that God offers to us – asking nothing of us except that we accept his free gift and pass it on. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Against these things there is no law.
And as for me, what does my tag say? I follow The Way.
Eclectic Soup 