Just Stop

In the immortal words of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, made famous by Captain & Tennille, “Just stop. Cause I really love you. Stop, I’ll be thinking of you. Look in my heart. And let love keep us together.” While the rest of the song has some cringe-worthy lyrics, these particular lines stood out to me. So much to unpack here. Stop. Right. There.

What if we considered the lyrics as those of God speaking to us? Don’t laugh. God works through all things, including sappy, secular song lyrics. During these challenging days of pandemic wilderness, we can easily engage in online, anonymous, or not-so-anonymous banter and battles with trolls, friends, or even family members. When did disagreement and discord become the default? When we disagree with others, how do we respond? Can we respectfully disagree and listen without judgment? Can we lay down our own need to be right, even for a minute? Can we just stop, in the name of love of neighbor?

Back to those lyrics. God is love, right? Remember God’s unfailing, unending love for us. Stop. Pause and remember that God is thinking of us. Yes, even you reading this. Look to God’s heart. Remember David, after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14 or Acts 13:22)? Love will help us. Love will help us to keep it together. God will help us persist through the pandemic.

Faithful God, help us to keep it together when things feel like they are falling apart because ultimately you hold us together. Remind us of your mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves, so that we may stop ourselves before lashing out simply because we disagree. Help us to listen with understanding, knowing that you are working through all things. Amen.