“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Peter 4:8
I have noticed a distinct feature within Christianity that caught my attention when compared to other religions. While all religions in one form or another would ultimately have the same end goal- that is for the betterment of the human condition. It is more often than not, religious figures and establishments can end up focusing solely on ritualistic practices and the programming of specific beliefs, in order to attain some form of physical reward or avoidance of punishment either in this world or an afterlife.
While rituals and spiritual practices have their benefits on an individual level, I feel that we can can get quite carried away and forget to account for our actions within the contexts of our community and role in society. Meanwhile, we could even end up paying attention exclusively to a particular group of people, our families or even individuals that only belong to our own race and creed.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32
Christianity carries the message of loving others with more emphasis and without exception. The words of Jesus always expresses kindness and forgiveness towards those who have wronged us and treated us unfairly. Even when the case is true, Jesus advises to always maintain that loving attitude towards everyone “no matter what”. This in turn brings about a special closeness and experience of God through our own spirit, within our very lifetime.
Indeed, this is a message that is crucial for this day and age, where warfare and world domination by political movements is promoted solely through selfish and capitalistic gains. This current trend proves that there is a shortage of a more positive approach towards living a better life for ourselves. It seems that without loving each other as human beings, despite our various diversities, we only find ourselves destroying each other and stripping our planet of its very soul. By then, it is obvious that it is only all of us that end up losing everything.
By loving each other and being kind “no matter what” we have automatically become more merciful towards each other and the planet. Ultimately reflecting on our actions and projections that we conduct while walking this earth. Alas, what would be a better heaven than this?
