MY SIDE IS UP

MY SIDE IS UP

As a pastor, there are moments that wear on your soul.

Something happens in our culture, in our politics, in our world, and suddenly everyone wants to know what side you’re on.

I hear it from both directions. “You’re not speaking up enough.” “You’re not saying the right things.” “You should be louder about this.” “You should condemn that.”

Can I be honest from the deepest place in me?

I’m heartbroken for all sides.

I’m sick over the hatred, the rhetoric, the separation, the way violence has become a talking point instead of a tragedy.

Whether it’s the couple in Minneapolis, a president facing an attempted assassination, Charlie Kirk, or Renee Good, every act of violence is horrific. Every loss of life is devastating. Every moment of hate leaves a wake of pain behind it.

And what breaks my heart most is how quickly heartbreak turns into arguments.

Life is lost. Children are left without parents. Families are changed forever. And instead of mourning, we debate. We compare. We justify. We weaponize grief.

I’m not defending anyone’s actions. I’m not endorsing anyone’s behavior.

I’m asking a simpler, harder question: Can we mourn a life that didn’t have to end… ending?

Because no matter what side you’re on, death is not a victory.

If you really want to know what side I’m on, here it is:

I preach Christ and Him crucified.

I genuinely love humanity.

Whether I agree with someone or not has never determined my love for them. Why? Because every person is made in the image of God, and that alone gives them value beyond anything we can measure or debate.

So let me ask the questions that won’t leave me alone:

Who did Jesus not love? Who did Jesus discard? Who did Jesus tell you it was okay to hate? Who did Jesus give you permission to dehumanize because they voted differently?

Who did Jesus tell you not to help because they were on the other side?

Who?

He didn’t.

Jesus looked down from a cross at the people who were actively killing Him and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

He washed Judas’ feet knowing full well that Judas would walk out the door and betray Him.

Jesus did not get consumed by the chaos around Him. He responded with love that made no sense to the world watching.

That kind of love isn’t passive. It’s not weak. It’s not indifferent.

It’s costly. It’s uncomfortable. It’s relentless.

So no, I’m not on the left. I’m not on the right.

My side is UP.

Eyes lifted. Heart open. Hands ready.

I will mourn every life lost. I will refuse to celebrate violence. I will love people I don’t agree with. I will grieve before I argue.

And I will keep striving, imperfectly but intentionally, to love like Jesus does.

Because if following Him doesn’t change how we see people, then we aren’t really following Him at all.

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8