Anyone who knows much about me knows that I really enjoy sports. I especially enjoy rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs! While I am not a sports connoisseur, I enjoy them enough to appreciate a lot of different sports. As a result of this, one of the things that I also really enjoy is the Olympic Games. Much can be learned from observing the Olympics but one particular thing that stood out to me during the summer games in Rio this year was the sportsmanship displayed by many of the athletes. I remember specifically thinking of how many of these athletes represented countries that were in opposition to each other...some even at war with one another. Yet the athletes competed with professionalism, sportsmanship, and integrity. While there were exceptions and there were some obvious tense moments during the games, overall I sensed some unity and respect among the athletes.
This scenario that played out in the Olympic Games made me consider the whole of humanity. While governments may declare war on opposing governments, there are still people who, by and large, are peaceful people and are not represented well by their leaders. It is not until we get to know people on individual levels that we get to see the humanity that is inherent to them. It is not fair to place anyone under an umbrella of hatred based on where they came from, what they look like, or their socioeconomic status. It is easy to affirm stereotypes when we are actively seeking them but when we get down to the individual level with people, we can see that most people do not fit the stereotypes that we have labelled them with.
The Bible is specific in Leviticus 19:18 when it tells us to love our neighbors. A lawyer, wanting to test Jesus, once asked Him who his neighbor was. To this Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. Jews and Samaritans generally despised one another...they were certainly not very neighborly! Jesus, after having told the parable to the lawyer asked the lawyer to identify the neighbor. Much to his surprise, the lawyer had to identify the Samaritan as the neighbor. We can identify all Samaritans as enemies or we can see them as Jesus sees them. Jesus wound up telling the lawyer that he should act as the Samaritan did in this parable. That is a tough pill to swallow. I, in my own heart, would hesitate at the thought of acting as someone who I had been trained to think of as an enemy.
Samaritan or otherwise, Jesus shed His blood for the whole of humanity. It is our responsibility to break down walls of hatred that have been ingrained in us, often times with no logical reasoning, to make disciples. So ask yourself, who is your Samaria? Why? Should you be harboring hate for anyone in your heart? Obviously not...so how will you make disciples of the Samaritans in your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment