Bearing our differences

One of the moments when "loving your neighbor as yourself" becomes challenging is when there are genuine differences of opinion between you and your neighbor.  When you believe strongly about an issue, and your neighbor believes the opposite, the question becomes, "What does love look like in this situation?"

What does it mean to love your neighbor who thinks differently from you?  Does it mean to try and convince them of your position?  Does it mean to defer to them and adopt their position?  Does it mean to say, "Let's agree to disagree," and then go your separate ways?  Does it mean to try and find a place of middle-ground where no one is really satisfied?

There may be times when each of these is appropriate, but I believe that another approach can be to honor your neighbor's perspective, and to honor your own perspective, at the same time.  This is a more patient approach that does not seek immediate results.  It calls on us to bear the differences between us, to hold the differences, to seek to be something of a container for the differences until a resolution presents itself.  If a resolution does not present itself, does not unfold immediately, then we stay connected to each other, holding our differences with as much respect and grace as we can.

This way may not produce immediate results.  Some will say that this way is not practical.  But this approach invites us to honor both sides of a disagreement, without force or capitulation.  It allows us to love our neighbor and to love ourselves, at the same time.