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Why is it that if someone has an opinion that’s different than the “supposed” majority, they’re automatically labelled a “bigot” and a “hater”?
Tolerance means loving someone and giving them respect that transcends the disagreements but it does not necessarily mean condoning the action or perspective.
The only thing is to hope that the other party would progressively come to terms with your viewpoint through dialogue, heart to heart conversations and the space to allow disagreements.
That’s the only thing that both sides can do.
(via vividimprints, loveallthis)
NAAAAAAAAAAAA
There is a difference between existence and living. As finite beings, we all exist and alive because we are breathing air, using our senses and able to comprehend these facts. To exist is merely to be part of the status quo, another number adding up to the population of this life. It is being categorized by your gender, height, weight, hair color, and other physical attributes/deformities. It is going through the motions to survive, to keep going, to keep the machine running. There is this lingering notion inside us to not want this to end so we exist. We keeping trying to find where we fit as a puzzle piece of authentic community.
But to live, is to know and experience. To grow in knowledge of the things in front of us and the things that have come before us, and the things that will come after us. It is going through the process of doubt,belief,hope and conviction. It is having the ability to empathize, to feel pain, sorrow and joy. To live is to not only breathe oxygen, but to sit there amazed at the fact that we are so precious, so finite, that one little hole in our lungs will cause us pain and prevent us from breathing. To truly live as God has created us to live is to look at everything in our lives and reflect on their purpose. As we reflect on the purpose of everything, we engage in conversations about what we are learning. We talk to others about our transitions, our present troubles, our current triumphs. We get together for dinner to laugh, to talk , to encourage, to bless.
Society knows that there is something wrong. That’s why there is all these occupy movements. But they are confused on how to deal with what’s wrong because they only see the symptoms. You can’t just attack symptoms and side effects. You must attack the source. We spend so much time fighting against “agents of evil” when we don’t realize that we are all part of that agency. We need to be fixed ourselves. We need to be changed. Restored. Given hope. Obama promised change. We demanded it. But how funny is it that for all the time we demanded change, we still haven’t been changed ourselves. We need to be changed to change. We need to be forgiven in order to forgive. We need to know love in order to love. We need to know justice before we can demand it.
How can we change if we don’t seek? How can we seek if we only search within our flawed brethren? We need someone bigger than us to restore us from our dirty residue of the human condition.
”but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8
Sinners- broken people, people that hated God, people that didn’t believe in Him or even mocked him, You and Me.
Be the Change.
That moment when someone says, ” The Lord told me today….” and I’m all like “What?” “How?”
You heard something? You felt something? You had a Holy Spirit inspired gut feeling?
Super Christian, Y U NO TELL ME YOUR LISTENING SECRETS?!?
*If this was taken in offense, I apologize. I’m seriously jelly of your experience. And I desire it immensely in my own life.*
Even though I spend so many hours reading on theology and the things of God, sometimes i struggle with the reality of God as a fully functional, living, powerful Creator. The intangibility of God is an present day struggle. I hate the fact that i rely on my senses so much because for the most part, this is how i live my life. Through communication, touch, smell, taste, sight and sound.
The idea of faith being a mindset and concept must collide with the concrete reality of this life.
We can talk about theology, morality and God all day long but i wonder how many of us struggle with the fact that it is all real? That this hope we have for the future will be as real as the fact that we open our eyes and stare at the ceiling when we wake up.
Although this struggle is real, i cling on to this faith in Christ even if it’s just a thin thread. I’m hanging on the edge. But i wonder if i’m doing it because of fear or because this is the ultimate reality of my present situation.
I don’t want to believe to get out of hell free. I want to belive because it is the truth and i can’t run away from it. I want to believe in freedom and happiness, not fear of punishment.
I’m walking on thin ice but i’ll cling to this faith even if it means i fall straight into this river of darkness….
A non-believer would claim that the Christians cop out is their faith. They don’t have the answers to some questions so their cop out is they still cling on to whatever they believe in without knowing everything.
A Christian would say that the atheist/non believer doesn’t want to struggle with the ideas of faith/belief and like the Christian, does not have the answers for everything but doesn’t feel need to have them as well .
::Insert Some Hard Question::
Christian: I don’t know. I have belief and faith. Just believe.
Atheist: I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Stop telling me what to do.
Just some observations…
“One of the best feelings is knowing that you are loved. And If you don’t know that… Really open your eyes. You are loved, very much.” — (via keshialee)
Dear Dave,
Sometimes it’s best to speak less, shut up and listen. Sometimes God doesn’t need to be heard from reading cathecisms, books on doctrine and systematic theologies. Sometimes God speaks through the words of a love one, the lyrics of the song that’s playing on your ipod, the sunset that you’re witnessing as you drive. Sometimes you strive so hard to do and professionalize the act of knowing Jesus Christ that you don’t realize that you’ve gone so long without hearing His voice. Just shut up and listen.
Sincerely,
Future Dave
Walking in true freedom in whatever you do whilst in willful submission to God.