What is the opposite of love?  I think the general response would be hate.  A different answer to this question was given at a Justice Institute session about Injustice in Education.  It was suggested by one speaker the opposite of love is indifference.

What is indifference?  Several definitions can be found and include:  unconcern, emotionlessness, unbiased, impartial, apathy.  The speaker shared this in context of confessing his own indifference to people who are suffering in our local city, Champaign, IL.  Prior to getting involved as a volunteer at one of the schools, he had no idea how strongly biased the local public educational system is against poor families and children, especially minorities.  In the course of the session, the group of panelist proved with facts and stated a destructive message is being effectively communicated to this group of children by the school system and the community at large.  Our society does not care about them, and we want them out of our way and sight.  Once they enter society as young adults and commit crimes as many do, we are happy to put them in jail to protect our property and personal safety.

Perhaps “hate” is not on the same scale as “indifference”, but the results produced are quite similar over time.  I believe I now realize and accept that my own indifference does contribute to the problem in my community.  I am excited that myself and others in this session have gained new insight and awareness.  I am thankful my heart is now opened and sensitive to this specific community issue.  My prayer is I and all of us actively seek to do our part as we serve our Lord by serving the members of our community, especially the members we consider the least.

1 Corinthians 10:24 - Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

This article was written by John Bentley of Harmony Outreach.  Harmony Outreach works with special needs orphans and vulnerable people in China. This article appeared in a recent newsletter from Harmony Outreach.These newsletters have amazing stories every time!  Go here to find out more about them: http://www.harmonyoutreach.org/

Here is John Bentley’s article:

It’s about life not success.

Since we get only one life, isn’t it really important that our lives are meaningful? I think so, and I think Jesus would agree because He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:1O). But somewhere between Satan, society and our own flesh many believers get deceived into pursuing a cheap counterfeit to abundant life called “success.” Our lives are so short-described in the Bible as a vapor that appears for an instant and then is gone. What a wasted opportunity if we spend the short years given to us chasing worldly stability, comfort and success instead of producing the “fruit that remains” that Jesus described in John 15.

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom describes an encounter which I hope illustrates this point. During the Nazi occupation of Holland, Corrie’s family began working with the Dutch underground to hide (and thus save) Jews. They built a secret room in their small house to hide as many Jews as they could and helped others to find safety living in countryside farms with other compassionate Dutch families. One day a young Jewish mother, with a brand new baby, was brought to Corrie. With no more room in their home, and all the homes in their “network” filled to capacity, Corrie struggled to think of a safe place for the mother and baby. The next morning, into their shop walked the perfect person—-a clergyman who pastored a small church in the countryside. I will let Corrie describe what happened when she asked the pastor if he would be willing to take them in.

Back in the dining room I pulled back the coverlet from the baby’s face. There was a long silence. The man bent forward, his hand in spite of himself reaching for the tiny fist curled round the blanket. For a moment I saw compassion and fear struggle in his face. Then he straightened. “No. Definitely not. We could lose our lives for that Jewish child!” Unseen by either of us, father had appeared in the doorway. “Give the child to me, Corrie,” he said. Father held the baby close, his white beard brushing its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby’s own. At last he looked up at the pastor. “You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.” The pastor turned sharply on his heels and walked out of the room.

So we had to accept a bad solution to our problem. On the edge of Haarlem was a truck farm that hid refugees for short periods of time. It was not a good location, since the Gestapo had been there already. But there was nowhere else available on short notice. A few weeks later we heard that the farm had been raided. When the Gestapo came to the barn where the woman was hiding, not the baby, but the mother began to shriek with hysteria. She, the baby, and her protectors were all taken. We never learned what happened to them.

Although it has been little more than 50 years since the events Corrie described, all of the characters are now gone. Gone are the Gestapo agents, the pastor, the mother and child, the family who sheltered them, and gone are Corrie and her father. The vapor of their lives has vanished and all that remains is the fruit of their lives-what was done for good, what was done for evil, and what was not done. Corrie’s story involved both heroes and villains, the courageous and cowards. Some of the heroes were ordinary people. Some of the cowards were in ministry. What mattered was not the job they had but how they lived their lives. Some years ago I made the decision to change the course of my life, leaving the practice of law and coming by faith to China - knowing little more than that God had called me. It has been a long and often difficult journey. But just this past month alone we took in two new at-risk babies, tiny Wanda and little Daniel. When I look at their sweet faces I feel love for them and am rewarded with the overwhelming satisfaction that comes from knowing that we are going to save and transform their lives. I suspect that feeling is the “abundant life” that Jesus was referring to. What about you? When the vapor of your life vanishes what will remain? Will you have any regrets about how you chose to live and the priorities you set for yourself? Jesus warned that when we appear before our Heavenly Father we will have to give account of our lives and present our talents (fruit) to him for inspection. And the quality and quantity of that fruit will have consequences, either good or bad, for all eternity.

(Matt 25: 14-30)
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (James 4: 13-17)