My neighbor posted a sign in her yard last week. A really horrible, in-your-face proclamation of uber-offensive, rile-stirring propaganda.
Or so she was informed when she was asked to remove it.
No. That can’t be right. The sign, which was sponsored by her church, simply proclaimed, “You are loved.”
Wait. What??? It’s okay to post incredibly polarizing political signs (online as well as inyard) overtly slamming the other side but you can’t remind your hurting neighbors that they are loved?
In incredulous jest, I deadpanned, “Oh, yeah. Right. I’m totally offended by … by your … love.”
The moment the ridiculous words exited my mouth, I recognized the new un-grace low our society has attained. We’re allowed to say any reviling, lambasting, insulting thing we wish to those whose political or societal views differ from ours, but we CANNOT go anywhere near possibly treading on any spiritual toes by offering honest, biblical, uplifting encouragement.
Or love.
Fear is currently normal and accepted. Hate is too (as long as it’s properly hidden behind the correct rhetoric). Hope and love are intentionally overlooked and considered old school. Defunct. Antiquated. Pre-Corona.
We can verbally (and literally) fistfight, but we can’t offer hope and support and Truth from the one and only genuine source of grace. We can have any opinion we think is popular and acceptable without having a shred of evidence to support it.
We’re allowed to rend and tear and rip. But not mend, renew, or repair.
My heart hurts for what we’ve done to ourselves. Does yours ache, too, my friend?
Remember the wonderful old song, “… and they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love”? No matter what lines our political views fall behind, we can espouse them with love and grace, can’t we? Can’t we?
I pray that ALL of us will make our voices and disappointments and prayers heard with our votes this election year. Let’s take every step we can – in Christ’s love – to re-grace the un-grace we’re currently battling so that more and more embrace the message of eternal salvation: You are loved!
I am appalled! I certainly hope your neighbor did not take it down! I am so thankful that I live in our small town, Franklin, NC, where we have signs like that all over town. It makes me smile when I see them. Our country needs Jesus right now, more than ever before!
This is the day and times that we live in…good is considered evil; evil is considered good…..obviously, the person who had asked your neighbor to remover her “You Are Loved” sign….needs the love Jesus….I would had removed the sign and given the sign to the person who had asked me to remove it…..obviously, that person(s) is/are in dire need of Jesus…..whoever that person(s) pis/are need of prayer(s).
Totally agree! Some days I just want to cry over what we have done to ourselves and each other. Thx for putting it so clearly.