You could almost say tolerance is a love that hurts you. It’s that abusive spouse who emotionally and physically harms you. They say it’s because they love you, but true love doesn’t do anything that causes pain. And that goes for visible pain, or even the pain that’s not so easy to see. Sin is like the bruises in your psyche from years of demeaning words. This comparison isn’t to downplay domestic violence of any kind, but rather to point out that a separation from the Lord is as painful, and even more so in my personal opinion, to the deep pain that is caused by man at times. It’s certainly not true love.
So if true love speaks the truth as given in God’s word, and as believers we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, then isn’t it a given that to love is to share what we have been given openly and honesty? Wouldn’t holding that back be the opposite of love?
If I let my child steal from a store, then I am also guilty. And if I allow a friend to live a sinful life according to scripture, never sharing my knowledge with them, or pretending that I didn’t believe their decisions to be wrong according to God’s word, am I not also guilty? Gosh, that’s something to think about.
So, is love a harsh condemnation of a stranger on the street, or perhaps a sermon directed coldly and condescendingly in a Facebook comment? Not at all. Love is relationship. Love is friendship. Love is caring. Love is built upon mutual trust and acceptance of the fact that we all carry flaws. Humans sin. That’s humanity. To love someone isn’t to call out their sin like you don’t have a bagful of your own. Love is to share the knowledge of God’s truth as He directs you, and in a manner that shows His heart, not just the desire to be correct. You share the truth out of love, but you also remember to share the truth in a loving way. This is one of the most difficult aspects of showing love; to do so in truth, but gentleness, meekness, and with a servant heart. That’s a spoonful, right?
We gotta work on this, guys. Myself included. We must stand in truth to show love, but we also have to remember to show love when we share the truth. I pray that we all may hear the Lord’s voice on how to do this best, and I am reminded that by diving into the scriptures we can get the best example of all on how this is done well; Jesus.