Love is the Solution

Communities are dynamic things. They grow and they shrink, they flourish and wither. Communities are alive and need to be cared for, or they will not survive. I like to think of the community I belong to as being like a garden. It can't be left to the elements; it must be watered and tended to. It requires love and any community that doesn't have love is dead.

In Mark 12:28-34, we are told that a teacher of the law came to Jesus and asked him what was the greatest commandment. Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

My dear friend and roommate, Amy, recently asked me, "How do you love God?" The question is trickier than it appears. How do we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? I'm not entirely sure, and I've been struggling with it for a while, but the closest answer I can come to is this: loving your neighbor is the first step toward loving God.

In Hebrews 13:2, we hear, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." So, if loving God is loving others, then it's pretty important that we go out of our way to express that love, because we never know when there might be angels in our midst.

I am an active member of Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northern Arizona University and I love that community dearly. It has seen more than its share of change. Leadership has changed, new people have entered the group and old friends have moved on to other things. Change is the reality of campus ministry, and in many ways the world as a whole. We must not be afraid of change, even when it is scary.

It always makes me sad when someone in a group feels left out or unhappy. As a people person, my instinct is to please everyone. However, it is not my place to tell anyone what they can or cannot feel and passing judgment is God's job, not mine. All I can do is be with people in love.

There are those who aren't happy with our community. They have chosen to leave. I will miss them. And while I may not agree with their decision (because I feel that problems with the community are solved by dedicating more time to tending to our growth, not by leaving), I will continue to love them.

My spiritual experience at LCM centers very much around the annual Dinner Musical production and late-night theological discussions. Recently, though, I have had a lot of trouble enjoying these activities (especially the musical) because of the drama that has erupted within the group. I'm not blaming anyone. I don't care why it's happening, I just want a peaceful solution. What is the solution? What do we do when our community is shaken? The solution is love. I'm not here to play egos against each other. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to learn how to love, and every obstacle to that end is just another test of my commitment to the path I have chosen — the path that Jesus walked.

Love conquers all, and I hope the troubles our community is facing now will pass and we will all emerge from it stronger in our faith. When things are hard and we just want to lash out, point fingers, and make accusations, we're forgetting why we're here. We're here to love each other and if we can remember that, then we can solve all of our problems together.