Change My Mind - Standing With Jesus in a Confusing Worldናሙና

Let’s address the elephant in the room: God is love. Jesus tells us to love our enemies.

But what does real love look like? Is it affirming every viewpoint and validating beliefs, even when they oppose God? Is it going along with someone who’s drowning in sin or confusion? Or is it something deeper, something anchored in truth?

Imagine someone jumping overboard from a ship. If you jump in with them but don’t have a lifeline back to the ship, you’re not helping—you’re just sinking alongside them. To truly help, you need to stay anchored and extend a lifeline.

THE ANCHOR OF TRUTH

Jesus experienced every temptation we face, including the temptation to:

Fit in with the crowd.

Be led by emotions instead of truth.

Avoid offending others to keep the peace.

But Jesus didn’t let emotions or societal pressures guide Him. He looked at people with clarity. He knew what was true and what wasn’t. He knew what was right and wrong. And most importantly, He knew that people needed help.

Jesus didn’t just sympathize with people’s brokenness; He stepped in with the solution. He brought light to their darkness.

COMPASSION, NOT EMPATHY

There’s a subtle but important distinction between empathy and compassion.

Empathy often imitates love but lacks truth. It says,“ Let me sit with you in your brokenness and affirm it. I’ll feel what you feel, and that’s enough.”While it might seem kind, empathy alone doesn’t offer a way out of the ditch—it makes a home in it.

Compassion, on the other hand, says,“ I see your pain, and I’m going to help you out of it. I’ll walk with you toward healing and truth.”

Look at the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:

The Samaritan didn’t just feel sorry for the man who was robbed and left for dead.

He acted with compassion—he soothed the man’s wounds, brought him to safety, and ensured he was cared for.

Compassion takes action. It doesn’t leave people in their suffering; it helps them find healing.

JESUS' LOVE IN ACTION

When Jesus encountered people living in brokenness, He didn’t affirm their sin or leave them where they were:

The woman at the well: Jesus didn’t say, “It’s okay to stay in your cycle of broken relationships.”Instead, He led her to find fulfillment in God.

The prostitute: Jesus didn’t tell her, “You do you.”He said, “You’re forgiven. Go and sin no more.”

The sick and injured: Jesus didn’t normalize their conditions or validate their pain as permanent. He healed them and brought freedom.

The demon-possessed: Jesus didn’t tolerate the demonic. He cast it out and restored them to wholeness.

Jesus’ love was never passive. It was active, powerful, and transformational. He didn’t leave people in their sin—He led them out of it.

LOVING LIKE JESUS

Real love is rooted in truth. When we affirm sin or ignore brokenness, we’re not helping—we’re hurting the very people we’re trying to love.

Jesus shows us what love looks like:

It’s compassionate, not enabling.

It offers healing, not hollow affirmation.

It points people to the truth, even when it’s hard.

Let’s follow His example. Let’s love others enough to help them out of the ditch and lead them to the One who can heal their hearts and transform their lives.

Will you choose compassion over comfort? Will you stand in truth and love others like Jesus? Let’s extend the lifeline of God’s love to a world that desperately needs it.