As it turns out I've always been a bit perplexed by the greatest commandment. Not the Love God with every fiber of my stinkin' self part but the love the neighbor as myself part. And it's not what you think exactly. I get the love of neighbor, especially those neighbors least like me. What has puzzled me for decades is how to love the other fully when I'm not sure how to love myself fully. Love myself?
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In the wake of a horrific event, where a human choice took the life of beloved police officer, some friends in blue have asked me hard questions this week. Why would something like this happen? How can your God of love allow things like this to happen? Many of the folk asking are non-religious, anti-religious or grew up abused by people of an angry God and have turned away from the church and a life of faith. When friends like these turn to me with painful questions of "why?" I feel intensely compelled to invest a great deal of time thinking, reading, talking and praying about what on earth to tell them. You can be damn sure I will never utter those ridiculous phrases that we've all heard too often. You know the ones: "God has a plan in this, we may not know it but He does." Or "God is teaching us something through this." Those sprinkled with the hollow "She is in a better place now." leave me more than cold, they leave me angry.