Conquering Vertigo

And Jesus wept

Growing up in church camps, we played "sword drills" or "bible drills" where the first person to find and recite a scripture won a freeze-pop, or whatever. Scripture memorization was interspersed between swimming and archery. My clever uncle mastered John 11:35 -- "Jesus wept" -- so he'd always have a scripture at hand.

Later in life, Jesus weeping meant a lot to me. Showed me reality, compassion, empathy. Still later, I began to wonder what else Jesus was weeping over. Jesus told us "they will know you are Christians by your love one for another." Yet rarely do I recognize Christians by their love one for another. Particularly when we judge, exclude, divide, and use him as a prop when we go to war.

I've just started a study of the Qur'an, and I'm wondering what I'll find. How much will teachings in the Book of Islam resemble the ways in which I see it being practiced?

I wonder what our world we be like if Christians actually were recognized and renowned for only one characteristic -- their love for other people. Would poverty and suffering fade? Would war be a distant memory? Would people walk up to us and say, "Wow, I'd like to be like you?"

Would Jesus still weep?

posted by Woman In Love @ 9:31 PM