People aren’t expendable

Over the last few months I have encountered a belief in society, both in general in public and very directly and personally. It is a belief that literally makes me feel sick. There is a wide spread belief that people are expendable.

The relationship is too hard, so I walked away.
The person has apologized over and over again but doesn’t change.
They  are too needy. I just can’t handle it.
They deserve what they got.
Due to their race/country of origin/religion/economic status/gender/age I can’t associate with them.

How did we get here? We all have two parents. We all were born. We all have the same basic biological structure. We all need food, water, physical care, relationship, and love. How did we get to the point of believing that we are better than someone else?

As much as I would like to say I am “better than this” and do not hold this belief I can’t say that. As I look at my heart I realize that I don’t know how to truly look at every person with love, care, and respect. I get offended when someone hurts me. I feel self-righteous about certain beliefs and opinions I hold.

This has been humbling, convicting, heart breaking. Oh, how I want to believe that people are not expendable.

Whether the person is my physical neighbor, the pastor who won’t forgive me, my brother who lives in sin and feels conviction when he is around me, my closest friend, a shopper at a local store, a homeless person on the street, a survivor or a disaster like Haiti, or someone who chooses a completely different belief system and lifestyle from me they are still a person. They are not expendable. I can’t throw them away, and they can’t throw me away.

We live in a world that has come to see physical items as disposable. We purchase cheap items that we know will break. We use electronics and machines for a few years at most and then they are outdated and need to be up upgraded. When items becomes scratched, scarred, torn, or blemished we discard them. I even learned recently that clothes manufacturers will destroy perfectly good clothes rather then giving them to the poor just because they don’t want that style out in public any longer.

How can we overcome our disposable practices in life and not have them apply to people? How can we grow our hearts to see people as so valuable that we can’t turn our back on them?

I am realizing that I can’t do it any more. I need those who don’t like me. I need those who see sin in my life and are willing to tell me about it. I need those who have differing opinions. I need those who lead different lifestyles. I need those who make me uncomfortable. I need them because they cause me to grow. I need them because they cause me to think . I need them because they remind me that relationships are hard, messy, complex, and take work.

Deep down, we need to change our hearts. We need to change our thinking. We need to develop a conviction that relationships are no longer expendable. It will change our relationships. It will change our marriages. It will change our commitments. It will change our comfort level. It will change our hearts. Oh how I need that, to have my heart changed!