creating change

"Just because someone doesn't love you like you love them doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they have." 

Wow, that's a hard one to swallow isn't it? Especially when we think about all the hate in this world. Isn't that bizzare to think that even homophobic people may not know any better. Yes, ignorance is a reality. It does not mean these people are inherently evil, it means they are ignorant and really MIGHT, just MIGHT believe that their way is the right way. Can we fault them for this? No. What we should be doing is creating change by OUR actions. We need to remove the stigma, change the fear and show others that being Gay does not make you a bad person. The same with Christianity. Unfortunately, others have represented Christians in a negative light and as "real" Christians it's our duty to show others what it means to be "really" Christian. We could just ignore this fact and choose to worry about our own lives by surrounding ourselves with only people who accept us but how does that help the greater good? Being Christian comes with a responsibility of helping others. No matter who they are or what they believe. 

This statement reminds me that every person is their own person, with their own experiences, their own capacity, their own character and that is fantastic. It's fine to expect things from others, but do so with the understanding that the only thing we can really expect from anyone is for them to apply themselves fully in life. This type of understanding seems essential to practicing true tolerance. That's what we want others to expect from us right. That we do things the best way we know how to to the best of our ability. If we don't want others to judge us, why do we judge them? "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things." Romans 2:1 Remember what Jesus said about casting stones. 

Instead we should be showing the world what it means to be Christian. We should show our communities that Gay does not equal evil or sinner or prostitute or drug addict or cheater or whatever other ridiculous stigma that has been attached to us. How do your actions represent Gay people? How do your actions represent Christians? I'm not saying we should accept hate, I'm saying that true tolerance has helped me to walk a higher road. And that's how change will occur. We create the higher road by walking it ourselves. How can we expect others to take a road that we haven't traveled ourselves? That's just it - we can't. We need to lead the way.

We could use this approach in so many ways to change our relationships. This is one of the secrets to happiness. Use the ignorance of others as an opportunity to represent yourself in a better way. Become a better Christian, become a better Gay (haha if there is such a thing) but more importantly, become a better person.

Now apply this to the relationships in your life and watch them transform. The expectations we have of others sometimes is ridiculous. Show others what it means to be a better partner, a better friend, a better co-worker. This was the whole theory behind "turn the other cheek". How can we stop violence by being violent? Remember, maybe this is all they have been shown. We must show them, by our actions, that there is another way and it works. This is how things change. Things DON'T change by creating a list and demanding that it be done. Change happens in the heart. That's why it's so important to win the hearts of people over their minds. We create change by being agents of change and we're agents of change through our actions. Peace creates peace, love creates love, change creates change.

"Just because someone doesn't love you like you love them doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they have."

Peace to all and God bless.
Kyle