Harmony and Love

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35

My dog and cat love each other!  But if another dog comes to our house my cat hides and if my dog sees another cat he barks and wants to chase after it.  This is not limited to the animal kingdom.  Years ago when we lived in a townhouse community I noticed a difference in how I felt about the garbage cans left on the curb the day after pickup belonging to people I didn't know vs. people I was friends with.  My friends' cans did not bother me whereas the strangers' cans did.

When we finally accept that we are all created by God and therefore are brothers and sisters our differences won't bother us so much!  I love my cat just as much as I love my dog even though they are totally different in their temperament and behavior.  And they obviously do not look like each other!   I love them even more for their differences and that they are not like me.  I would get bored very quickly if everyone in the world looked and acted like me.  The best partnerships are when one's strengths and weaknesses are opposite of the others'.  Together their weaknesses can be overcome.  This is why fostering competition in children, I believe, prevents them from embracing another's strengths.  Instead, competition promotes envy and degrades self-worth in those who are not as gifted in the same way.

We can love like Jesus loved when we embrace what is different about others rather than finding fault with their/our differences. When both do this, harmony can be found, and where there is harmony, love can grow.

I am grateful that there is hope for us as a people in Christ.