“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 NIV

All Lives Matter. Either we believe it or we don’t.

Jesus tells us to make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. When we believe we have the right to demand worldly justice, that we believe we know enough to judge fully and righteously, we make the mistake of putting ourselves above God.

As tempers flare and heartaches cry out for justice, we must remember that our children are watching and listening with every defamation of authority and every racially-charged insult. With every word we speak and every action we take, someone is listening and learning how to hate without ever knowing why.

Hatred isn’t a requirement for being alive – Love is.

We were crafted in the image of God Himself. With His power and Love, we are capable of rising above all of the hurt and misery that hovers over us like a massive tidal wave and make a change that our children will take with them into the future.

Our children thrive or suffer by our decisions and the world that we craft with our hearts, whether we craft it with hatred or Love will determine the shape of their destiny.

“An avalanche starts with one pebble. A forest with one seed. And it takes one word to make the whole world stop and listen. All you need is the right one.” ~Jay Kristoff

It’s time we stopped listening for insults and looking for reasons to be miserable. It’s time we started speaking words of life, love, and affirmation.

It’s time we behaved like adults instead of schoolyard bullies.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:13-16 NIV

If you want to fight for something, fight to forgive. Fight to stand up for someone else instead of putting them down so you can feel better about yourself.

We have children to educate about how to live well and love others above ourselves, and the bell for class has already rung.