He splashes water on his face and behind his ears. Then he draws a knee to his chest contorting himself over the laundry room sink to dip his feet under the faucet. If I talk to him during this brief cleansing ritual, I will not get a response. At first I thought it was rude, but I understand it now. According to his faith these brief moments throughout the day are reserved for uninterrupted dialogue with God.
Seconds later I hear his feet padding toward the tiny woven rectangle lying on the floor near the dining room. It’s just long and wide enough for an adult to kneel on. His knees crackle as he bows, kneels, and stands, whispering prayers to God in this sacred and choreographed act of worship.
As for me, prayer anywhere is a holy act. I even keep a Bible in the bathroom. Many Muslims consider keeping holy scriptures near a toilet an abomination. A major dis to God and His word.
My Muslim husband and I have many differences in our faiths. But what I didn’t realize when we first met, was how much we actually have in common. We both agree Abraham is a patriarch, and we admire Job for his perseverance and faithfulness. We want our kids to love God and honor their elders. We believe Satan wants to separate people and destroy families. And the list goes on.
It’s not perfect, but when we put love and respect ahead of our dogma, we win. Our family wins. And our kids see the unconditional love of God at work.
The varied houses of worship that comprise the American Church have so much more in common than my husband and me. Yet as Christians, we draw red lines around so many issues and stamp conditions on our love for one another. We puff out our chests with hands on hips standing our ground on certain issues.
Some denominations lean left and some right. Some affirm the LGBTQ community and some reject them. Some cover their heads, and some wear spaghetti strap dresses on Sunday mornings. And God shows up in all of those places when we gather to worship Him. God doesn’t discriminate.
What if instead of picking sides and pushing our fists on our hips, we open our arms and embrace the person behind the issue?
If we want to make a bigger impact of love on the world, we need to learn how to love our American Church family even when we totally disagree.(John 13:35) If we just blast each other on social media and dismiss each other based on differing doctrines and politics we are missing the love of God.(1 John 4:7-10)
This year, let’s resolve to hold back our arguments instead of our love for one another. Let’s actually listen to one another for a while. In the end we may hold our same stance on an issue, but our hearts for one another will enlarge. And that’s better than a convincing argument anyday.
Dear Lord, I admit the doctrine and politics of some churches scares me. At times I don’t agree and I feel like they are doing more damage than good. Your word says the things I know now are partial and incomplete.(1 Corinthians 13:12) Please give me the humility and wisdom to admit that I could be wrong or at least partly wrong on some issues. Help me learn how to love You and love our Church family in a greater capacity this year. In Jesus Awesome name, Amen.
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