i often wonder...
In Essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.
i often wonder how far is too far.
is it possible to befriend someone who lives contrary to the way that you think, believe & have chosen to live? can you love that person enough to let them be & not continually think of them as a mission project or secular mountain to scale & conquer? should you?
do you allow them to speak what they believe to be truth into your life only to barter that time in exchange for your own bully pulpit? should there ever be limits to the exchange & come a time where it's obvious that you should wash your hands of their being? is there ever such a thing as a lost cause?
i've heard it preached that tolerance is a dirty word. @ 1 time in my life i would probably agree w/that, but now i'm not so sure that it's enough. where is there to go to when tolerance only devalues our ideals of redemption, grace & forgiveness?
tol·er·ance
The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.
Leeway for variation from a standard.
The permissible deviation from a specified value of a structural dimension, often expressed as a percent.
i personally find that my longing to cling to tolerance not only discounts people, it wholesales my desire to engage them. all my marchings under the tolerance banner only show my underhanded attempts to usurp the spirit & set up shop for myself. it's only brought me misery so far, so i'm really struggling to let it go.
liberty just may be the only way to begin to see people the way that he does. it allows them to act upon the free will w/which they were born & values their choices...even the wrong 1's. i hate to see willfully, wrongheaded decisions acted upon, but i have to keep telling myself that they are free to choose...especially if it's wrong.
lib·er·ty
The condition of being free from restriction or control.
The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor.
maybe that's another part of love.
unconditional,
accepting,
liberating love...
whose depths i've just began to muse @ plumbing...
i often wonder...
i often wonder how far is too far.
is it possible to befriend someone who lives contrary to the way that you think, believe & have chosen to live? can you love that person enough to let them be & not continually think of them as a mission project or secular mountain to scale & conquer? should you?
do you allow them to speak what they believe to be truth into your life only to barter that time in exchange for your own bully pulpit? should there ever be limits to the exchange & come a time where it's obvious that you should wash your hands of their being? is there ever such a thing as a lost cause?
i've heard it preached that tolerance is a dirty word. @ 1 time in my life i would probably agree w/that, but now i'm not so sure that it's enough. where is there to go to when tolerance only devalues our ideals of redemption, grace & forgiveness?
tol·er·ance
The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.
Leeway for variation from a standard.
The permissible deviation from a specified value of a structural dimension, often expressed as a percent.
i personally find that my longing to cling to tolerance not only discounts people, it wholesales my desire to engage them. all my marchings under the tolerance banner only show my underhanded attempts to usurp the spirit & set up shop for myself. it's only brought me misery so far, so i'm really struggling to let it go.
liberty just may be the only way to begin to see people the way that he does. it allows them to act upon the free will w/which they were born & values their choices...even the wrong 1's. i hate to see willfully, wrongheaded decisions acted upon, but i have to keep telling myself that they are free to choose...especially if it's wrong.
lib·er·ty
The condition of being free from restriction or control.
The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor.
maybe that's another part of love.
unconditional,
accepting,
liberating love...
whose depths i've just began to muse @ plumbing...
i often wonder...
posted by lee at 10:01 AM
3 Comments:
Lee, another intriguing topic. I was given up on by a Christian friend who could not tolerate my lifestyle. Luckily for me another Christian friend decided that even though I was wrong and she disapproved of my morals and views, she still wanted to be my friend. Eventually her friendship led me to Christ. BUT THEN I ended up turning away a friend because I could not handle her immorality and foul mouth and constant arguing against me. She’s still not a Believer – did I fail? Probably as a friend but the ultimately God already has figured out who will and won’t accept him. Right? You make me think too hard, I have a headache now. Lee, another intriguing topic. I was given up on by a Christian friend who could not tolerate my lifestyle. Luckily for me another Christian friend decided that even though I was wrong and she disapproved of my morals and views, she still wanted to be my friend. Eventually her friendship led me to Christ. BUT THEN I ended up turning away a friend because I could not handle her immorality and foul mouth and constant arguing against me. She’s still not a Believer – did I fail? Probably as a friend but the ultimately God already has figured out who will and won’t accept him. Right? You make me think too hard, I have a headache now.
Me too......plumbing the depths that is....or desiring to......
Good word aout the free will. I guess we can't be pissed at people for exercising their free will when God gave free will to us all as a gift. I admit it is hard to live this out though.
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