It’s been a little over 24 hours since the most recent attack in Paris. This was not an isolated event, it was not the first, and will not likely be the last (thought I pray for a long break). There is hurt, pain, and death in life. I believe that the best of humanity surrounds that hurt, pain, and death with compassion and love. However – hurt, pain, and death can easily be forced upon us out of hate.
My call as a Christian is not to condemn, it is not to call for judgement, it is not to raise arms, but to thrust love and compassion back to the center. To embody & remind those around me that love is far more than positive vibes and butterflies. That love takes more than a word, but that word is a commitment.
In light of the attacks in Paris some family and friends have expected our plans might change. They’ll be disappointed to discover we’re still moving. In that our plans have not changed. Yet our future in Paris looks different than it did before Thursday. I feel a pull and call to help lead people back to a center of love for the other in a stronger way than I’ve felt in a long time.
We easily forget how much offense the compassion of Jesus caused. If it was with tax collectors, people believed to be of an inferior race or religion, or agents of the empire. Jesus knew that love existed for them, that no-one is beyond hope, and that everything can change for the better in a moment. The challenge is step into as many moments as possible with compassion and love, aware that their hate may destroy us.