Differences

There are many, upon many, things in this life and world that I do not understand.

One of the heaviest is – why can’t we disagree without becoming cruel?

Sigh.

It hurts my heart when others are so angry and against what others do, say, think, wear, use, or eat/drink.

You can say, “This matters deeply to me” without turning it into –

“Therefore, if it doesn’t matter deeply to you, there is something inherently wrong with YOU!”

We all carry histories that no one can see completely, nor understand.

We all have different experiences, different wounds, and different joys.

We have different convictions, different personalities.

And yes, we all have different ways of making sense of this enormously messy thing called “Living Life”.

Did you know that 2 people can look at the exact same thing, and see differently?

But that does not mean either one is stupid, evil, ignorant, uncaring, or deserving of being discarded.

I do not have to understand your passion to respect YOU.

You do not have to understand my passion to respect ME.

Sometimes, our passions do NOT define us as a person.

Sigh.

I miss you not being me, and me not being you . . . and that being okay.

I miss people giving allowances and being tolerant.

I miss kindness.

One can be passionate about, or against, something

– without being rude and hateful to those who don’t share the same passion to that degree.

Sadly those who shout and pound for patience, tolerance and acceptance of their passions seem to be the very ones who have the least patience, tolerance and acceptance of the passions that others have.

You do not have to surrender your passions, your convictions, to practice Grace, Mercy, Kindness, and Love.

I’ve lost count of the times I have either read, or been told directly, that if I don’t share their passion, then I am to unfriend, unfollow, and delete them from my social media and my life . . . or they will block me online and in real life.

Not saying that I am better than anyone – I am NOT – but I am different than many.

I don’t care what you are passionate about.

Spiritually, religiously, politically, artistically, physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, relationship-wise.

Be it cars, horses, cooking, creating, cleaning, writing, drawing, eating, drinking, laughing . . . or any of the millions of causes that are in Life.

BE passionate.

But good grief, y’all.

BE KIND.

It’s really not that hard.

Why must we draw those hard lines of anger and hatred in the sands?

Why do we threaten the livelihood of so many?

Why do we not look beyond our own passions and see the interests of others?

I don’t walk in your footsteps

– but you don’t walk in mine.

And though we may have similarities

– we are the not the same.

Even 2 people raised in the same house, by the same parents, living the same life

– grow up, grow apart, live different lives.

Shouldn’t that tell us that people who are not raised the same will be different?

If we would treat others the way we want to be treated . . .

If we would speak to others, and about others, the way we want to be spoken to or about . . .

If we would care about others the way we want to be cared about . . .

Sigh.

Rick often talked about us being called to “Stand in the Gap”.

Through prayer, and in living this Life

– day to day, moment by moment.

Not that we were, or are, riding the fence

– or being undecided in our own passion and convictions.

But in being, and practicing

– patience, tolerance, acceptance and allowance, for one another and the differences that make us individuals.

“Standing in the gap” does not mean standing in the middle because I am afraid to choose sides.

It means standing firmly in what I believe, while refusing to turn another person into my enemy because they believe in anything differently than I do.

It means saying, “I believe in this”, without saying, “Since you don’t believe like me, you are my enemy.”

It means saying, “I don’t participate in that”, without saying, “Anyone who does participate in it (or doesn’t – depending on the passion) is beneath me.”

It means having boundaries yes, but without building a wall around your heart, and without burning bridges to those around you.

It means refusing to take sides in conflicts without refusing to love both sides.

I just want to love people.

That isn’t indecision

– it is conviction.

The older I get, the more I realize

– I don’t have to confront every difference.

I don’t have to defend my passions.

I don’t have to explain myself continuously.

I don’t have to announce that I disagree.

I can love you from my side of the room.

I can pray for you.

I can let you have your convictions.

I can quietly continue to live my own convictions.

Your anger does not require me to become angry with you.

“Standing in the Gap” is not fixing someone.

It is not convincing or even agreeing completely.

It is not approving and condoning 100%.

It is simply refusing to become another angry person standing on the other side of the line.

It is loving one another without losing yourself.

It is standing firm in your passion and conviction without becoming hard.

It is making room for differences without compromising what I believe.

It is remembering that I do not have to “pick a side” every time someone demands that I do.

Standing in the Gap simply means

– not throwing another stone.

Boss, I’m just tired of people being rude and hateful.