Through the years of being in the Christian community, I’ve come across incidents or articles where Christians talk about cherry picking verses from the Bible. It is typically a wrong thing to do because it’s meant to be taken whole sale. I’ve also come across articles talking about verses which people wish wasn’t there and so make their lives easier.
For me, I’ve come to find one myself. The hardest verse, in my opinion:
1 John 4:20, it says
“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
While the verse says “brother” it could mean, possibly, fellow believers. I struggle in that a little. However, the one which makes it the hardest are not fellow believers, but my literal brother. I kind of believe, if there were an irresponsibility and inconsiderate ranking lists, he would be one of the top few. Might even get a trophy for it.
Because of that, the thought of having to not just put up with him but to love him is really killing me from the inside.
Part of me also wants to argue that I can love God who is invisible while hating my brother who is visible. And it’s precisely because he is visible that I find it hard to love him. But then again, my love would be a false one?
Help me, God, to love the unloveable brother. For I cannot do it myself.
Uninspired Scribblings 