when i first sat down to write this, it was six days after the election. still, it's the the first thing that pops up on social media, the first headline read in the newspaper every morning. and every time, it's about the divided country, and the fact that election of president elect Trump has prompted so many racial outbursts and unkind words -- both said out loud and on social media, and now? it's been two months.
my mind keeps coming back to the theme of love. jesus taught us how to love our enemies, right? what happened to cherishing their opinion, not calling them out for it? our first instinct should be different from what we see. it should be love, peace, happiness, instead of hatred and violence. inside, we're all the same. with slight variation, different DNA codes, we are made of the same things. we each have a beating heart, functioning muscles and ligaments. inside, our blood all runs the same color. we are all human. we all make mistakes, too, but that doesn't give any excuse to tear somebody down or create barriers and divisions between people who have different opinions than you do. learn how to love, then teach your neighbors and friends how to love, and gradually, that love can take over.
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it is 11:32 pm. twenty-one hours after the presidential candidate of the united states was declared. five hundred and twenty six days after it all began. it took all day to form a single sentence, a single thought about this election. as i thought about this race, a race that took life after life as the result of hate crimes, and hateful words spewed into the air, i wondered, i shook my head, and i knew the only thing left to do was pray.
last night i prayed. while the votes were being tallied i prayed that jesus would know the right thing to do for our country, for my future, the futures of my friends, parents, siblings, family members. i prayed that we would all be able to show love and peace towards the ones around us. three hours after the results were announced, i woke up. immediately, my stomach filled with fear, as i scrolled through social media feed after feed, and i knew that many people suddenly feared for their safety, their lives, their homes. words of fear spattered throughout the pages of the newspaper, telling of little african american girls, immigrant families. throughout the day, i heard messages of love, messages of peace... the same things i prayed for such a short time ago. my dear brothers and sisters, as i pray for peace and unity, i extend my invitation to you. to spread kindness, joy, love - not hatred, fear, guilt. |
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