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The Oscars – Inclusion

The Oscars shouted the call for inclusion in tones ranging from charming to rage, on behalf of those who view themselves as being maligned and disenfranchised.  An evening intended for entertainment and celebration has become a hardened fist of social unrest . . . and a microcosm of the world we now live in.  How far we have fallen as a country!

How can this be happening when one of the biggest trends in America is the call for personalization.  “Have it your way” was originally a great line for selling hamburgers. Now it applies to everything we say and do, wear and drive, and even experience.  From facial hair, to hairdos and tattoos, everyone wants to be different, and yet those who are different are becoming offended when seen as being different. Go figure!

While women’s rights and racial equality remain issues of concern in America, America leads the world in both of these categories.  You would not know that by today’s rhetoric. And all too often, raised voices accomplish the opposite of their intended purpose. The decibel level of discord across America has become deafening as emotional outbursts have replaced reasoned dialogue.

Solution: God is the author of inclusion by loving every one of us the same and having the same desire for all of us . . . to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.  Those who follow Him and the churches we attend are the antithesis of anger and rage. Loving our neighbors as ourselves, turning the other cheek and going the extra mile are at the core of our beliefs.  The further one lives their life away from God and in contradiction with scripture, the easier it is to feel marginalized and defensive, having no idea how God purposely made every one of us unique.

Action: Those who live outside of God’s promise and understanding are living in the darkness of a Godless world.  God came to seek and save the lost and those making the most noise often need God the most.  How are they going to know there’s a God who loves them unless someone tells them.  And who’s going to tell them unless they’re sent. The darkness of their world is not going away until we turn our lights back on.

Every issue, regardless of what side you’re on, is an opportunity to more everyone, every day, closer to Jesus. And when you do that, when you live for His Purpose above everything else, He’ll make everything else in your life work for good.  That’s a win/win and the end of discord and emotional outbursts.

Add to that, He Loves you (and them) as much as He’s ever loved anyone. He’s never loved anyone more than you, not even His own son, Jesus Christ.  And His ultimate plan for you is to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. And because He loves us all the same, we have no alternative than to do the same.  We’re all God’s children!  And because His ultimate desire is for everyone to spend eternity with Him in Heaven, that same desire is required of us . . . and that stops the rhetoric and the focus on “me”.

Reference Quotes and Scriptures:

“Anger doesn’t solve anything, it builds nothing, but it can destroy everything.”
Thomas S. Monson

“When you let anger get the best of you, it brings out the worst in you.”
Penture Quotes

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured”
Mark Twain

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgives you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in unity.
Colossians 3:13-14

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3

There is neither Jew or Gentile, neither slave or free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26-28

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31

Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him?  And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him?  And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
Romans 10:14-15

If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?
Matthew 5:46