In2theRiver

Good morning from Westminster, MD!

Are you known more for what you are “for” or what you are “against”? It’s an interesting question to consider in our current environment. It would be hard to deny that the society in general is leaning strongly toward the against side of the equation. In many ways, we are as divided as we have ever been. There are many reasons for this, and I have written about some them in the past. It appears that the most popular strategy for winning at the moment is to double down on what you are against. While this might be creating short-term wins for some, what will the long-term impact be on society as a whole?

The first time I remember hearing this question posed was at my church a number of years ago. The question was, “Is the Church known more for what it is for or what it is against?” Similar to society as a whole, most people would say the Church in general is known more for what it is against. There are many reasons for this, some well-earned and others not, but that is not the focus of this post. In the case of my church, the challenge presented was to be a church that is known more for what we are FOR than what we are against. In other words, that our communities would know we are FOR them. This doesn’t mean ignoring truth but rather serving and loving people in such a way that it is clear we are FOR them.

The reality is we didn’t come up with this concept. It comes from the way Jesus lived and calls his Followers to live. Jesus was clearly FOR people and their flourishing, both for today and for eternity. Jesus saw, and still sees, past the brokenness to the God-given potential inside of each of us. It is clear that Jesus’ long-term strategy for winning is doubling down on what you are FOR.

So, what would it look like to make that our strategy for winning? What would it look like to make FOR your strategy for winning?

I believe it starts with how you see people. As humans, we have a tendency to treat a person based on how we perceive them. If we perceive them as our enemy, someone to be feared, or as “less than”, we will treat them accordingly. Instead, if we, like Jesus, are intentional about seeing past their brokenness (let’s face it, we all have a little brokenness in us) to their inherent God-given potential, we will treat them differently. To say it another way, if we can view others as fellow creations of God instead of an issue to be judged, we have a much better shot at being FOR them. This doesn’t mean ignoring truth or never disagreeing with someone else. It just means making who they were created to be the most important thing.

When we begin to see people for who they were created to be, we begin to realize that they have something to offer to the world. Instead of seeing life as a zero-sum game, we begin to live with an abundance mindset, believing that we are better off when everyone is flourishing. From this perspective, being FOR someone else will actually help me win too. There is no longer a fear of losing because someone else won. Instead, we can work together for the collective good, even if we don’t agree on everything.

Imagine a world in which people believed the best strategy for winning was being known more for what they were FOR than what they were against? How much would change? While it is a far cry from where we are today, I still believe it is possible. It starts with a choice: will I choose to be known more for what I am FOR than what I am against? Will I choose to believe being FOR others is actually how we all win? The choice is ours.

What does this look like practically? Check back next time for more.

James Belt

Click here​ for more resources to help you bring hope to others, including more information about my book, Hope Realized!