We have been told to stand firm in our beliefs.
To proudly assume the mantle of defender of what we know to be true.
Thankfully for our sake, ideals and themes are generally easy enough to discern and classify. However, what about all the minutia? What about the plethora of detail surrounding and complicating nearly every issue?
Incredibly, despite our ignorance, we possess full confidence to adjudicate not only the major concepts we have received clear guidance on, but every associated detail as well. Furthermore, we readily promulgate said understanding to any who will listen, and are eager to hold others in contempt over seemingly inane details. Few nuances are left glossed over or untested in the opinion arms race.
But life isn’t about proving or even knowing what we know. Life is about loving and caring for others. A task made all the more difficult when focus remains on justifying self. We’ve simply missed the forrest for the trees and allowed ourselves to be derailed.
“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something that you don’t agree with-even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.”
Life today can seem overly focused on our differences, especially as we as a society continue our trend of hyper-catergorization. We can easily allow outsized influence to our few points of dissension, instead of recognizing our large shared base.
Let us avoid buying into the ‘difference’ narrative and getting bogged down in nuance, and instead welcome each other with open arms and love. People may never remember if we got every detail right, but they will absolutely remember if they were treated gently or with scorn.