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Hi, I am Tameka, and thank you for being patient with this week’s blog.
We wake up this morning on the other side of another election. For some, celebration. For others, disappointment. Some stepped into voting booths for the first time. Others returned with renewed hope that their voices might finally make a difference.
But when the noise fades, when the numbers are final and conversations quiet, what remains?
We may have voted differently or not at all, but tomorrow we’re still neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family.
So when our opinions collide, what happens to compassion? Do we hide behind screens, saying things we would never say face-to-face? Do we allow our political preferences to determine who deserves our kindness, respect, or understanding?
An election shows who we support, but the way we treat one another shows who we are.
And when all the votes are counted, perhaps the real question is not who won, but who are we?
Scripture: John 13:34–35 (KJV)
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Imagine knowing that you are about to be crucified. You know that one of your own disciples will betray you, another will deny knowing you, and others will abandon you when you need them most. Yet, instead of focusing on their failures, speaking words of condemnation, or encouraging hatred, Jesus chooses to speak about love.
Think about that for a moment.
Jesus wasn’t simply telling His disciples to love one another. He was giving them a commandment, and He had already shown them what that love looked like. He had walked with them, served them, forgiven them, and even washed their feet. He wasn’t asking them to demonstrate a love He had never demonstrated Himself.
Notice His words: “As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
He wasn’t leaving them to figure out what love should look like. He was giving them Himself as the example.
Then He takes it a step further. He tells them that the world will recognize them as His disciples by the love they show one another.
Not by how loudly they proclaim their faith. Not by how often they post Scriptures on their social media pages. Not even by how many times they tell someone they are Christians.
But by their love.
And that love cannot be reserved only for people who agree with us, support us, or treat us kindly. Jesus demonstrated love even in the presence of betrayal, knowing that those closest to Him would fail Him.
If Jesus could command love while facing the cross, what excuse do we have for withholding it simply because someone sees the world differently?
Perhaps the question isn’t whether people know that we are Christians. Perhaps the question is whether they can see Christ in the way we love.
Folklore: The Two Brothers
Long ago, two brothers lived and worked on neighboring farms. One was married with children, while the other lived alone. Each year, they divided their harvest equally.
One night, the unmarried brother thought about his brother’s family. He realized that his brother had more mouths to feed and needed more grain. So, under the cover of darkness, he carried a sack of grain from his barn to his brother’s.
Unknown to him, his married brother was having similar thoughts. He worried about who would care for his unmarried brother in his old age. Knowing that he had children who would someday look after him, he decided his brother needed more provisions.
That night, he secretly carried a sack of grain to his brother’s barn.
Night after night, both brothers continued their secret acts of generosity. Each morning, they were puzzled to discover that their grain supplies remained unchanged.
Then, one night, they encountered each other carrying sacks of grain in opposite directions.
Suddenly, they understood.
Neither had been thinking about himself. Each had been concerned about the other’s well-being.
Overcome with emotion, the brothers embraced.
According to the legend, their extraordinary love made that place sacred, and it was later chosen as the site of God’s Temple.
Adapted from a traditional folktale. The account is a legend, not a biblical record of the Temple’s location.
Reflection
Recently, I came across the heartbreaking story of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, who was shot and killed in the Bronx, New York. A young boy whose life was cut short, whose dreams will never be realized, and whose family must now face a future without him.
The images of him running for his life have haunted me.
But what troubled me even more was what I saw beneath some of the posts mourning his death. While many expressed sympathy and heartbreak, others chose to make cruel remarks about his nationality. Some suggested that had he stayed in his own country, he would still be alive.
Imagine that. A child has lost his life, a family is grieving, and somehow, people still find room for hatred.
His mother, already carrying the unimaginable pain of losing her son while living in another country, was granted a visa to travel to the United States to say her final goodbye. Yet even that became an opportunity for some people to spew hatred, suggesting she should stay where she was.
When did we become so insensitive to people’s cries, their plight, and their circumstances?
We have just come through another election. Some are celebrating. Others are disappointed. But the election itself isn’t what concerns me most. It’s what happens to our humanity when we allow our differences to become reasons to mistreat one another.
I don’t have to agree with the person you voted for, support your political party, or celebrate the same victories. But none of those differences should make me any less deserving of your love, kindness, or respect.
We can stand on opposite sides of a political argument without standing on opposite sides of humanity.
And this goes beyond elections.
I think about the things we see happening with immigration enforcement and the reactions that follow. People being pursued, lives being lost, and families being torn apart. Yet some respond to these tragedies with celebration, applauding the actions and saying, “Good job, keep going.”
How do we reach a place where someone’s suffering becomes something to celebrate simply because they were not born in the same country as we were? Since when did someone’s birthplace determine the value of their life?
God forbid that we ever become so hardened that another person’s death brings us satisfaction.
I don’t have to hate the person wearing a uniform to question the actions taken while wearing it. I don’t have to agree with someone’s choices or circumstances to recognize their humanity. We can disagree about policies, laws, and leadership without losing our ability to grieve for another human being.
The two brothers in our folklore didn’t stop to calculate who deserved more. Each looked at the other’s circumstances and chose to give. Neither waited for the other to make the first move. They simply saw a need and responded with love.
And Jesus didn’t command us to love only those who look like us, think like us, or agree with us. He gave us Himself as the example.
Sometimes we are quick to announce our faith, share Scriptures, and declare our love for God. Yet our true testimony is found in how we treat the people whose opinions challenge ours, whose backgrounds differ from ours, or whose circumstances we may never fully understand.
God sees the child being mocked, the grieving parent reading hateful comments, and the person silently wondering whether they belong.
And He sees us, too.
We cannot keep preaching love while practicing hate. We cannot claim Christ while using our words to tear down the very people He has commanded us to love. And when we witness cruelty, our silence should never become its shelter.
So before you type that comment, share that hateful post, or ridicule someone’s accent, nationality, beliefs, or political choices, consider the person on the receiving end. That person has a family, feelings, and a story you may know nothing about. And that person, just like you, was created in the image of God.
Love is not something we should turn on and off depending on who stands before us.
Now it’s our turn.
Let us stop using our differences as excuses for cruelty. Let us speak when others are mistreated, extend grace even when it is uncomfortable, and remember that our words have the power to wound or to heal.
When all the votes have been counted and the political conversations have quieted, what will remain of our testimony?
If someone had to identify who we are based solely on how we treat others, would they recognize Christ in us?
Prayer
Let us pray.
Holy, Righteous, and Eternal Father God,
I bring before You today hearts that are burdened, beaten, and broken, carrying the weight of the world within them. Lord, we place them before You, asking for Your understanding, healing, and blessings upon their lives.
Father, I lift up the family of young Javits and all the families whose children have been taken from this world far too soon. We remember the missing children, the grieving parents, and the families mourning losses they should never have had to endure.
Lord, we come before You broken and empty, knowing that when one of us hurts, we all hurt. When one mourns, we all mourn. You have called us to be our brother’s keeper, yet too often we forget what that truly means.
Father, I cannot imagine the pain of being a parent in another country, receiving the devastating news that your child is no more. And even after being granted permission to travel and say a final goodbye, being met with hateful words from those who believe you should remain where you are.
Lord, where is our compassion? Where is the love You commanded us to show?
Father, mend the hearts of the broken. Comfort those who mourn, strengthen those who feel helpless, and provide for those who have lost so much.
Teach us to look beyond our differences and see one another through Your eyes. Remove hatred and prejudice from our hearts. Help us to be compassionate, to extend grace, and to love as You have commanded us to love.
May our lives reflect the love of Christ, not merely through the words we speak, but through the way we treat one another.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
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