Give him a name

A little boy who attends our Awana group is unruly and that’s saying it kindly. He disrupts, runs away from group time, and requires constant supervision. Several weeks ago, during our large group session, Sammy (not his real name) needed my attention so I brought him to sit next to me. In the next few moments I discovered a hurting little boy, one that desperately needs to be loved and my heart changed. Instead of seeing a ‘problem,’ I saw a person. He was just an irritant to me (sad to confess that) until I learned his name.

This thoughtful phrase arrested my attention - The things we “love tend to have proper names.” (Wendell Berry)  We do not love much in the abstract. Love is personal!  Hate is all but impossible when we know the other person’s name. We tend to show much more compassion when we know another’s story because she becomes real and relatable.

Christian, we must keep our focus on people, individuals who need to be loved, who need to know Christ’s amazing grace; not on programs, plans, and policies. When we speak of ‘saving the world,’ we must remember Jesus’ method. He did not focus on the masses, seeking the largest venue in which to preach His message. He mostly spent his time with individuals, investing the largest portion of His efforts on a small group of disciples. Big numbers and impressive statistics tend to grab our attention but God touches lives and changes people, one person at a time.  Instead of lumping others into groups defined by their choices or behaviors, what if we saw them with the eyes of Jesus, as persons who are loved by God?

Our nation is caught up in a culture war and the language of war has taken control of our national debate. We hang labels on others that depersonalize them, making it so much easier to condemn, criticize, and even destroy them. This is a troubling choice on both the Right and the Left, for both Republicans and Democrats, among Christians and “Nones,” for white and black, rich and poor, male and female. Propaganda depends on creating and sustaining depersonalizing stereotypes that prevent us from identifying in any real way with the ‘other.’

When was the last time you attempted a real conversation with someone with whom you differ?   Have you made an effort to learn the name, so to speak, of another that is completely outside of your circle? This does not require that we forget our convictions. Tolerance, that much loved word that is actually so little practiced, does not require ignoring reality.

My point is that we will love so much better when we give him or her a name, when we find out who the person is. 

Speaking from my own convictions let me illustrate –

She is not just an abortion, she is a woman who found herself confronted with a hard choice.

He is not just ‘gay,’ he is a man who desires to love and be loved.

He is not just a punk, he is a kid in search of acceptance.

She is not just an ‘atheist,’ but a person who is struggling with existential questions.

Don’t try to love people; love a person! We who are beloved, become those who love best, so this is my prayer, for myself, for you, for the world.

"Christ… (will) dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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God So Loved (Live At The Wheelhouse)

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well that never runs dry
Drink of the water
Come and thirst no more

Come all you sinners
Come find His mercy
Come to the table He will satisfy
Taste of His goodness
Find what you're looking for

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting there
With open arms

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
The power of hell forever defeated
Now it is well I'm walking in freedom
For God so loved God so loved the world

Praise God praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him praise Him
For the wonders of His love

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save

Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting
God so loved the world

 

 

Andrew Bergthold | Ed Cash | Franni Cash | Martin Cash | Scott Cash

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