Kyle Brenner nag-retweet
The Most Important Commitment of All
I wasn’t planning on writing about this.
I’ve seen so much anger and divisiveness this past week and thought it would be better to stay away from the hot stove and not get burned.
But then while walking this morning I prayed and asked if I was supposed to address this.
When I got home from my walk a friend Chad Busick texted me out of the blue and said, “Hey Jon, you know your 7 Commitments of a Great Team also apply to what’s happening right now in our country.”
I knew in that moment I was supposed to tell you about the most important commitment of all for a team and country and that’s the commitment to valuing each other.
If you don’t commit to valuing each other, you won’t commit to the other commitments that make a team and country great.
Even worse if you don’t value each other you won’t listen to each other, empathize with each other or care about each other.
And worst of all is when you get to a point where you actually devalue each other.
Where instead of seeing another person as a precious soul that has infinite value, you see them as having no value.
Unfortunately, this is what evil does during wars, genocides, gang violence, political fighting and assassinations.
Charlie Kirk was killed because someone was able to demonize him and devalue him to the point he felt justified in destroying him.
Whether you agree or disagree with his beliefs and philosophies, I hope you agree that someone should not be killed for engaging in civil debates about politics, faith, religion, society, etc. no matter how much you disagree with them.
While people want to attack the person who did it, I want to expose the evil that makes people want to do it and cause others to cheer when someone does do it.
I can always spot evil because it aways seeks to divide, demonize, demoralize, and destroy.
I can also spot love, because it always seeks to unite, encourage and give life.
Evil divides. Love Unites.
Evil devalues others. Love values others.
In this spirit, the way forward and the answer to division, anger, hate and demonizing is to love and value each other.
You can disagree with someone vehemently and think their ideas are trash, and yet still see them as a valuable soul who is loved and deserves love.
Even more powerful and impactful, you can commit to loving and valuing them and when you do the world becomes less hateful and divided.
My hope is that this will be a turning point in our country. Where those who cheered for Charlie’s death will examine the hate in their soul and those who mourn his death will not let hate fill their soul.
My faith tells me to love my enemies because when I hate my enemies I become more like them. But when I love my enemies, I become more like Jesus who loved, served, cared and valued everyone.
In our disagreements and debates let’s commit to valuing the person even though you may hate their idea. And even if someone sees you as your enemy and hates you, you don’t have to return hate with hate, because the only way we defeat hate is with love.
Love wins and valuing each other creates a foundation that leads to winning together.
Sending love your way,
Jon
English
