I had thought the same way. And I agree that it does make sense that the end result of loving would on the surface result in peace ... but on the contrary ... to love one another does not mean to pity one another.
Pity and Peace have different and separate meanings... one can love someone and still pity them...
One can love someone but not have peace with them...
I believe that one can pity someone and love them. I believe that we can pity someone and not love them. Pity and love are different concepts... but at the same time, out of love, one can pity someone. It's not the Christlike love, but in our own human way, for some... it could be a way that a type of love is shown.
We would have to care for someone in order to pity them. So... even though, pitying someone is not the fulfilling love that Christ speaks about or teaches about per'se, I think for some... it is an expression of what some believe is a type of love.
When I see a homeless person, I pray for them and if I can help them, with God's grace and love, I do my best... but I also pity them as well. This could be because I'm full of flaws and imperfections and I just feel sorry for someone who is going through a rough time in their life... how can one not feel a sense of pity for others who are suffering in one way or another? And I can't help but think that maybe in a sense this sort of pitying may be a type of love that we have because of our faith in Christ. Now whether it is correct or not... I don't know. I need to think that one over.
Now peace on the other hand... Christ didn't come here to make "peace". He came here to give hope to those who were hopeless, to bring light to those who walked in darkness. Love and peace are also two different concepts. Although, one can have peace and love... but one can exist while the other doesn't. I hope that makes sense.
My students have been forcing me to rethink my idea of what it means to love, and what is the end result of pity?
I read or heard an old saying... true love is recognizing the needs of others and instead of putting a temporary bandaid on a situation... be apart of the cure.
In other words, if we give food and money to the poor, that will take care of them as long as the food and money lasts... but if we teach them how to plant their own vegetables and how to "make" their own clothes and "build" their own homes... if we teach them the "how to's"... instead of just giving them food and/or money... well, if they know how to provide for themselves, then they will out of the good kind of pride and respect for themselves and their families, they will continue on to provide for their own needs and their own family needs. I don't believe that we should hand money and things over on a silver platter. I believe that we need to educate people in how to better provide for themselves while we also temporarily help them out. It is out of love and pity that we help others. But real love is teaching someone the "how to's".
I think it is a Chinese saying... if you give a hungry man a fish, when the fish is gone, he will go hungry. But if you teach a hungry man "how" to fish, he will never go hungry... or something like that. So... if we truly love with the love of Christ, we not only take care of the initial surface and up front needs of another, but we also take the time and care of 'teaching' one how to take care of their own needs in the future. I hope this makes sense.
Even Jesus stopped feeding the hungry when He realized that people flocked to Him not for their spiritual nourishment, but for their physical alignments.
I don't think he stopped feeding the hungry as much as he knew that the crowd was missing the point. He always preached that we need to feed the hungry and clothe and shelter the poor.
I am not questioning that we should obey God's command
Oh, I know. It's good to ask questions. I've asked similar questions too.
... I am just wondering what purpose does it serve and How do we do what He commands. To really Love.
The purpose that it serves is to bring us all closer to Christ and to each other. If we see another suffering, does that not cause us to suffer in some way or another? If we see someone hungry, does not that make us feel a great sadness and a desire to feed them?
How do we do what He commands? To really Love? We do our best in whatever way we can to take care of our families and if we do come across someone or a bad situation, we do what we can... but most importantly... no matter what.. we always pray for God's grace and goodness to show through us and that we live a life that will be pleasing to God. We love because we are loved... we love the way that we would want to be loved by Christ.
God Bless
