Frustations of Love

It never ceases to amaze me how hypocritical we all tend to be.  It is easy for us to proclaim our beliefs, but our actions rarely follow our words.  The current view of Christianity commonly held by many in this country is one that speaks to detestable thoughts and acts.  However, it is a view that has been earned through years of our Christian leaders failing to follow and teach the words of the savior Himself.  In Matthew 7:12 it says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (NIV)  It is really a simple ideal.  Treat people the way that you want to be treated.  And yet, we find ourselves battling to succeed in this everyday.  Someone cuts in front of me in line, and I lose my temper.  And for what?  A few seconds of one day of my life lost?  I have no claims that I am any better than the rest.  However, I would like to believe that I strive to be a better person each day.  I would like to believe that I try to look for flaws in my life that I can strive to correct, and it becomes a heavy burden to feel like no one else (or at least very few people) are along for the ride with you.  I believe in Jesus Christ.  I believe that He was born as the son of God, He performed miracles, He preached the gospel, and He died for our sins.  I believe that the Cross and the Crucifixion deserve capital Cs because He bore them for us.  I have believed in that since I was 13 years old.  Frankly, I could not care less whether you believe or not.  I hope that you do.  I would love to engage in dialogue with you about it sometime.  I believe that through Jesus Christ lies the path to heaven.  But whether you believe or not will not change the fact that I love you all.  Anyone who knows me well enough will think that sounds crazy coming from me who tends to proclaim people as "stupid morons," but I assure you that at heart I am an idealist who believes that most people are good, and everyone has some good in them.  I want everyone to be happy, and I want them to wish for happiness and love for others.  My religion demands that I love others without deference to color, creed, or company kept.  Christianity teaches us to treat people fairly, love your enemies as yourself, and always practice forgiveness.  We call ourselves Christian, yet there is often little that we are able to claim is Christ-like about our actions.  We protest gay marriage, and preach that gays are doomed to hell.  We speak of giving of ourselves, and yet the only people who seem to be receiving are the institutions themselves.  We make jokes about race, sex, and even religion.  Now let me be clear.  There are groups who do missions, outreach programs, feed the poor, help prepare packages for troops, sponsor children overseas as well as at home, etc...  These works are wonderful, and I think that Christ would be ecstatic to see us reaching out to one another in this way.  I do not want to create the impression that no Christian groups give, and I am not claiming that all Christians are failing.  I just want us to think about whether or not we are failing individually.  What can we do to be better Christians, better humanitarians, better Americans, and better people.  We are all God's children.  We were each made beautifully different in His image, and we each have a responsibility to remember that all day, everyday.  God loves us all, and we should all love each other.  God chose us above all others, and I think that we owe it to Him...or if you prefer, I think that we owe it to ourselves to choose each other.  John 3:16 (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  If God gave His own Son for us, can we not afford to give a little of ourselves to each other?