So, Do You Agape Me?

Today my English Composition teacher asked our class a question. She wanted to know what trend, value, or practice in American Society needs to be re-examined and evaluated in our opinion. Some people in class thought and struggled with trying to find what they felt could be an answer but for me, I knew exactly what my answer was. We need to learn to agape everyone. You may be wondering what that word actually even means.

In John 21 Jesus is with one of his disciples, Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Peter replies by saying he does love him. The way scripture puts it is Jesus asks if Peter agapes him, or loves him unconditionally. Peter’s response at first is that he phileos Jesus, or loves him like a friend but not deeply like Jesus was asking him.

So what does this little message in the Bible have to do with anything today? Well, I believe the world phileos one another when we should be agape-ing every human being. It’s easier said than done for sure, but it’s not impossible. In fact, it’s what God calls us all to do. In John 13:34 Jesus says “Love one another just as I have loved you”. Jesus never phileoed anyone. Jesus looked at us as his children. A child is the one human a parent loves with all that they are. How are we to look at people who have wronged us with that same love?

I began to think back to the first time I ever felt deeply hurt by someone and it brought me back to the glorious days of middle school. In middle school I wore children’s clothes because that’s what fit me. In middle school most girls were already wearing junior’s clothes. I remember how often girls would pick on me for not wearing the same stuff they did and how inside it rattled up a wave of hateful emotions towards them. Those girls were not my friends they were rude and flat out mean, so how do I agape them? High school was even worse. It started out like middle school where girls were mean to me for pointless reasons like for not wanting to have a boyfriend yet but as I got a little bit older it just got worse. I remember sticking up for a mentally disabled boy who was getting picked on by a group of girls. I stuck up for him because he couldn’t defend himself. The event turned into a train wreck that involved visiting the principal and other staff and would result in endless gossip and dirty looks until graduation.

Again, how could I love those girls? Those girls who made fun of people for how they dressed, who cursed at you as you walked by them in the hall, who made up rumors about you, who hated your every living being? I can’t love them. But God can through me. We often overlook Philippians 4:13 where Paul explains “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. The Holy Spirit is in every believer showing us that we can love them like Jesus. So going back to what needs to change in America, obviously our nation needs Jesus but before this country can grasp the idea of salvation we need to first learn how to agape others because when we do we’ll be able to see how deep the Father’s love is for us.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Why do we need to agape others? Yeah Jesus commanded us to but we break so many commands everyday so why is this one that important?” Well, what would happen if you showed a suicidal teen agape love? What would happen if you showed a stay at home mom agape love? What would happen if you showed your dentist agape love? What would happen if you showed an alcoholic agape love? What would happen if you showed a grocery store clerk agape love? What would happen if you showed a stranger agape love? It doesn’t matter who you express that love to. People are people, we were all made in the image of God, we’re all alike. If we chose to agape someone rather than to phileo them we have the power to impact them greatly enough to the point of them showing that love to others. We have the power to be the country that agapes people.

So I want to leave you with this. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior or not, do you agape others? If not, can you agape others? We’ve all been hurt by someone in someway. We’ve all felt hate towards others. But wouldn’t our lives be that much more worth living if we showed people love the way it’s deserved to be shown. This isn’t me saying I wish we lived in a world full of love, happiness, rainbows, and puppies. This is me saying that if we are real, genuine, caring, and passionate towards others what impact could we make in people’s lives?