Jesus Loves the White, Middle-Class

It took me a second to translate this bumper sticker into English.

You might not be as fluent in Spanish as I am. 

After all, my family spends a lot of time crunching chips and salsa and putting away the chimichangas. 

There are five Mexican restaurants in the small town I live in. 

People identify with them. 

The two most popular have a following that borders having gang-like characteristics. The two factions are known as El and Los. The Ball family rolls with El Mazatlan. When someone tells me they are going to Los Mariachis, they are about to be cut with a snide comment. 

The Mexican food street wars are fierce in rural Kentucky. But that is neither here nor there.

The translation of the bumper sticker reads: Jesus is love. (Just in case you didn't know.)

The Holy Spirit used two words in a heart shape to convict me this morning. 

I forget how much Jesus loves everyone. 

I forget that his love extends past people who aren't like me. 

The first people he loved didn't look or act anything like me. Jesus doesn't just love and he isn't just loved by the white, middle-class in America.

He loves people who speak every language. He loves people of every ethnicity. He loves people in every class.

Yesterday someone posted an article about a Christian martyred for his faith in Egypt. After he was buried, a group of men dug up his body and dragged it through the streets. 

This article had little affect on me. Without a thought, prayer for his family and friends, or emotion, I clicked "X" and moved on to the next interesting feed about Miley Cyrus. 

I failed to love my Christian brother who has shown greater faith than I ever will. 

Why? Because he isn't like me.

The vast majority of Christians don't look and talk like me. They aren't like you either.

If you want to better understand the vast love of Christ, whenever you see someone who isn't like you, realize that Jesus loves them, too. And if you know that Jesus loves them, it will be easier for you to as well.