Sharing the love of Jesus no matter what

There I sat, in my favorite coffee shop, relaxing…trying to write…when all of a sudden a voice said, “Mind if I sit with ya?”  I looked up and it was an old man that I have come to love named Mike. I said, “Sure bro…have a sit.”

Now, Mike is a great guy. He`s friendly, he loves a good conversation, I`d say he`s in his late 60`s and his whole gig in life is to hang out at the coffee shop and argue politics with anyone who will listen. I get a kick out of him most of the time but today he was angry…and quite frankly, I was in no mood for interruptions—I had a tone of work to do.

So, as Mike sat down he says to me, “Ya heard about that abortion doctor trial?” I thought to myself…”oh no, here we go.” And I basically told him that I had, and then, I tried to show some semblance of genuine interest in his question. That was all Mike needed to get his tirade of political ranting going. He was spewing the “F” bomb like a broken pipe spews water and all I could do was sit with a ghostly white face and stare into oblivion. I could feel every eye in the coffee house on me and my table.

Now, first and foremost, let me say that I am against abortion; however, I`m also against stealing, murder, lying, cheating, sexual immorality—do ya get the picture. BTW…I`m guilty of all of the above—or at least I was until Jesus set me free.

I sensed a chance to cut into his tirade for one second and interject some words of love and tolerance. I sensed a moment where I just needed Mike to hear from Christ. I said, “Mike, I hear ya my brother…but I know that if I am to help the sinners of this world find peace in Jesus…I have to approach them in love…not hate.”

It worked…he stopped dead in his tracks…calmed down…and changed the topic. I think it was the weather or something next (laughing). You see, I do think that politics has its place. I do think that abortion is the wrong answer to a serious problem—unplanned pregnancy. The thing is that I know that I cannot criticize, condemn, or complain to my fellow human beings if I then intend to share the Gospel of Christ in my next breath. That`s not to say that I endorse their sin or even ignore it altogether…it just means I need to meet them in love and mercy—that`s how Jesus met me…"while I was yet in my sin."

Today…I just want to love people. I want to learn to love them as Christ loves them. For me, I think the answer lies in the way I view my fellow man. Are they just people…flesh and blood…or are they the children of the living God whom he loved so very much—even in their sin—that he sent his Son to die on a cross for the atonement of sin. This view places tremendous value on my fellow man. It makes me value them and love them in spite of sin, insult, or injury.

Each day is a few steps forward and one or two backwards, but I will keep walking toward the finish line of the Kingdom. Praise the mighty name of Jesus.