So this post was conceived from a comment I heard about a week ago during a sermon on End Times. We were listening to all of these false predictions and vetting scripture from speciulation, and my dad made the comment, "the thing that really frustrates me about [Christian] end time fanatics is that if you truly believed the end was coming, why are you not out there telling everyone you know about Jesus?" It made me ask myself: what do I truly believe? And do I act on those beliefs as if I believed them? The truth is I don't. I don't believe for a second that truth is relative. I don't believe there are multiple ways to heaven, or that "being good" is good enough. But that's not how I typically act. Over the years I have allowed culture to shut me up. Society tells us that you can have an opinion but you must "respect" other people's opinions by not contradicting them. Keep it to yourself basically. And so often I do. But here's the problem with that: it emasculates intimacy. Think about it. What we all want is to be loved as we truly are isn't it? But true acceptance isn't sweeping our differences under the rug, it's putting those differences on the table and saying, "I still love you."
Let's look at this from another angle. Society tells us to accept everyone. And honestly, that sounds really good! But you can't kill your convictions here's what typically happens. Either you don't say anything because you don't want to be seen as judgmental or you put up your defenses and tell them your opinion with the preface that they need to accept it because that's the correct thing to do. Either way intimacy is lost because the white elephant in the room constantly stands between you.
Let me end with one final story. One of my best friends in this entire world is a girl with whom I agree with about 60% of the time. Neither of us have ever shrunk away from expressing our opinions. We have had many healthy arguments on subjects in which we have strong convictions. But here's the key--there is nothing she could do that would make me stop loving her. She isn't my friend because of her opinions. She is my friend because she stands beside me. Because she has never left me over a disagreement. And without all those disagreements, I never would have known the fiber of our friendship.
I guess the bible had it right all along: "Speak the truth in love." Each of us needs to decide what convictions we hold. What we believe. What hills are worth dying on. For myself, there are a few people that I need to be more honest with--only then can true loyalty, acceptance and love grow.
