Lover Fighter

When asked “Are you a lover or a fighter?” I don’t have a pat answer. I guess it depends on where I am in life. I know I’m a lover when it comes to those close to me: my wife of 52 years, my daughter, my granddaughters, and my great-grandkids. But that’s easy. Those are easy to love. In my eyes, they are beautiful and precious. Loving them doesn’t seem justification to crown me a lover. In fact, those relationships would also seem to qualify me as a fighter. Mess with just one of them, and see.

I suppose to some groups I may be one or the other. I like to think my clients and the legal opposition consider me a fighter. The folks at church would probably vote more for a lover, I hope.

I suppose most of my acquaintances don’t know enough about me to put me in either category. The baristas at Jet or Starbucks based on my witty comments and “generous” tips, think I’m a pretty funny good customer…no love or fight there. I’m not sure what my associates at The Gachassin Firm think. They are lawyers or lawyer-like so I don’t trust what they say. Less of the lover there. They do seem nervous if I spend too much time at the office. Maybe too much fighter?

So what am I supposed to be: Lover or Fighter. I like to think that would be based on my walk with Jesus. He said we would be known by how we love. However, there are a lot of fightin’ words in the red parts of the scripture. As for Jesus, was He not the greatest Lover and Fighter ever? The crucifixion is evidence of both his love and his fighting spirit. No one dies that way without love and a fighting spirit to defeat the enemy.

This discussion is not purely academic. We need to be Lover Fighters. The likely reversal of Rowe v. Wade has set clear battle lines. As a prolifer, for life, I can see “evil” on the other side. I find their response unloveable and frightening. They may see the same in me. I captured a couple of raccoons lately. They looked cute in the traps. But when I approached they made every attempt to be vicious. Scared the poop out of me. Guess more of the lover than fighter in me.

The more adamant “choice” folks remind me of the raccoons. They feel trapped. It may be a sincere belief in the rightness of their position. It may be guilt over personal abortion experiences. It might be demon possession. For Christians, it shouldn’t matter. Don’t forget what they see in us. We need to respond as Lover Fighters. Motivation and history is NOT to be judged by us. Just love. Remember the Kairos motto: Listen, Listen, Love, Love. It works outside of prison too.

As Lover Fighters, we never stop holding firm to our beliefs, but we do so with love. Anger is an emotion. It should be appropriate to the situation, like Jesus with the money changers in the Temple. Anger should never be a way of life. As He was scourged and crucified He was dying for all, including the money changers. I got a quote in my inbox today: “You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.” Indira Gandhi

You also can’t get hold of the new stuff God has for you if you can’t unclinch your fist and let go of the old.

We need to be Lover Fighters. We should start with the easy ones: our family and friends and then move on to the challenges: those we find tougher to love. It will be tough; but not tougher than dying on a cross.