Matt Matthews attends theHeart and he shares about a conversation he had following the aftermath of George Floyd's horrific and senseless death in Minneapolis, Minn. It started with a question about evil and hatred. And it left Matt challenged about what it means for us to truly embrace our call to change lives with how we treat one another.
By Matt Matthews, theHeart Family
I had a conversation the other day with a client of mine, a real, honest question about the events in Minnesota. He asked me this question, “how could someone be so cruel?” He was genuinely hurting asking the question and I believe he wanted to know my answer.
I told him this evil in the world crosses all boundaries—good cops and bad cops, good insurance agents and bad ones (I myself am in the insurance business), good ministers and bad ones. Evil exists...period. I told him it made my stomach sick. And that I can’t fathom having that kind of hate in my heart that would justify this action. He agreed and we both went on with our days. (This was the summary of a 5-minute conversation).
I spent the rest of the day wondering, "Why would he ask me that question?" He and I had talked before about the racism he’s personally experienced in his life. Being on the receiving end of hateful treatment, and yet this one seemed to sting extra for him.
Recently my wife Tammy and I watched a video (above) with our kids who don’t know anything about what happened because we don’t really watch the news as a family. While watching it, this thought hit me right in the face: “This kind of hate is exactly the thing that Jesus stood against, this is more proof of our need for His Way of life.”
The Bible tells us that one time it was a lady caught with someone who wasn’t her husband. Another time an argument broke out about who was a better race of people (that was a question from the ‘good guys’). And again near his death, love poured out of Jesus even in the midst of being strung up on a cross—one of the greatest of all examples of hatred.
I really do believe that we are all called to this new humanity. To embrace love. To change lives with how we treat people. It's way more than where we “go to church”. Instead, it's about changing lives because we “are the church.”
We have windows in time, opportunities really, to show what we mean when it comes to loving people—hurt people, angry people, 'bad' people, 'good' people, sick people. All people.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.—John 13:34
This is the time when those who really love will filter to the top to live out what they say. Their words won’t matter as much as their actions.
Will we show up and be the New Humanity or is it more about a position we've taken or just a good moral activity?
Our actions will tell the story.
Your Voice Matters
Sharing how this time of uncertainty has affected you can be life-changing. It gives you the opportunity to process things while also inviting our church family to learn something profound from your experience. Through your personal story, we all get to see God at work in real and meaningful ways. And don't we all need that kind of hope right now? Understandably sharing your story can feel intimidating, but we want to give voice to your insights—they matter. Whether it's written, captured with photos, or recorded on your iPhone, would you consider contributing to theHeart Blog? Here's how it works:
Email your story idea to josh.anderson@theheart.us
Josh will contact you directly to discuss how best your story can be told on theHeart Blog (written, photos, video).
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