By this all men will know...

This past weekend I was in Texas for a bridal shower my family was throwing me. What an event- it's amazing how tired you can be, even when all you did was sit and open some of the most awesome gifts ever. There were several friends and family that were snapping pictures left and right throughout the afternoon. So naturally after the excitement of the day had died down, I hopped on social media to see some of the pictures these friends had shared. Rather than pictures of pre-wedding fun, my Facebook was spammed with dozens of pictures, videos, and articles regarding the racial tension in Charlottesville.

Several friends of mine had shared their opinions, blogs, and clips from the news. Throughout all of them words like racism, patriotism, and millennials kept coming up. There came a point where I couldn't read them anymore.

This morning as I sipped my cup of coffee and began to organize all the wedding gifts, I couldn't help to think about all the junk on social media. At that point a piece of scripture came to mind and gave me an interesting perspective on these events.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." 

John 13:34-35

There are several times where I have read scripture and thought about the weightiness behind the words I just finished reading. Today these words made my heart ache.

Jesus said it plain in simple. Love one another. He knew that while sin still lingered here on earth that this was going to be a battle. However he followed those three words with a challenge that should ignite a fire in believers during times such as these. It is through loving one another that we portray Christ to a world that is struggling to see and know him. 

When the trumpet sounds, our skin color, political affiliation, or Facebook following is not going to be the deciding factor on whether we spend eternity with Christ. Let us remember that we have been charged with the task of being the hands and feet of Christ-to love as he loved us. 

Friends, the enemy is prowling around like a roaring lion before our very eyes. Charlottesville, I believe, was a pawn in one of his many schemes to divide and devour many. But there is hope...

"God is love." 

1 John 4:16

So when racial tensions arise, let love rise all the more. When political disputes being, let love do the talking.  Simply put, God is love, so let love conquer all.