In the face of hate, violence, and extremism, many look to their left and right and ask one of the most pressing questions of our time & faith: “how am I supposed to love my neighbor now?”

I believe that the reason why love can be so difficult to grasp is because the phrase “love your neighbor” has been watered down, ripped from context & waved as a banner signaling passivity & surface-level performance instead of the transformative force it was designed to be.

This passive love seeks peace without justice & unity without accountability. It mimics God-love by being “patient & kind” without continuing on to protect & persevere. Instead of the divine love that seeks out & rejoices in truth, this dull love coddles evil & avoids tension.

The love we’re called to is AGAPE: love unconditional. The love for God & neighbor, the love marked by action, the love that IS God. The love that triggered the incarnation of Christ and the redemption of man. It is the opposite of passivity or apathy. No greater love exists.

This is the love MLK Jr. spoke of when calling it “the greatest force in the universe.. the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God." It is through the love we’ve been shown that we’re able to love others - the love that drives out hate.

How do we exemplify this agape love? By seeking out TRUTH at the expense of our own comfort, joyfully resolving to lay down our lives for each other. By exchanging the fluffy, feel-good stuff for a commitment to faithfully pursue all that IS good- even when it’s uncomfortable.

This love is not tolerance. It is transformation.

This love looks into the pit of darkness & hate and says “I will not rest until the light of truth shines through.”

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This love never fails. This love will see us through.