A preacher tends to be pretty clued in when it comes to whether a part of a sermon struck a chord. This last Sabbath I used the quote above as a part of my sermon and have lost count of the people who have asked for it, commented on it, or just said how much it resonated with them. I totally get it. I had my sermon mostly written when my mom sent it to me and I instantly knew I had to make a place for it.

Since Sabbath, a new thought has hit me - somewhat upside the head. This quote applies to me first. Not only am I arguing with those things (a person's story, experiences, fears, etc.), I am arguing from those places inside myself. Being curious means I have to ask myself what I am really seeking here - because often it is a desire to control the other person, not to see them and love them as they are.

I think this is what it means even more when Christ says "Blessed are the poor in spirit". When I am self-aware enough to know that I am entering into a conversation as a broken and imperfect person who is completely loved and accepted by Christ as I am, I can love the other person as they are, without a need to change them. They are worthy to be loved as they are.

And...it's hard. What about when their choices, their opinions and fears and biases, affect my life. How they vote, how they act, their choices affect my life. What do I do with that?

I don't have a perfect answer to the complexity involved in loving imperfect people. Here is what I do know - when a person is feeling loved and accepted as they are, we are both able to enter into any conflict from a place of health and safety. When love comes first, it is much easier to find solutions together.

This is what it is to believe in God's way first. God's way is to trust that love matters more than control. To be poor in spirit is to trust in God's love for us and God's love for the other person, and that love is actually enough. No need to convince or control.

This is going to be hard. And, I believe that each time we are able to take a step towards love instead of control, we will be blessed for it.

—Jana Lee