I Do: Embracing Faith and Love
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
I Do
Not to raise me up
but to remain grounded,
planted,
knees kneeling,
remembering
we fall
frequently.
Prayer’s power
isn’t in praising
but in pausing,
breathing between
hurting
and healing.
Faith’s foundation
isn’t in knowing
but in loving,
living His truth,
living mine,
giving love
not proof.
Do We Mean It?
This isn’t just something I’ve noticed. It’s an alarm I can’t ignore. Performative faith, especially in political spaces, is becoming more common. Unordained ministers quote scripture out of context. Politicians broadcast prayers like press releases. Jesus, however, taught humility, mercy, and love for the outsider. Far too many ignore that part to justify power rather than surrender to it.
The New Testament calls believers to serve, and not to seek status. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns against practicing righteousness to be seen by others. His ministry was not a campaign. It was a call to care for the least of these (Matthew 25:40), to wash feet, not shake fists.
Sociologists like Samuel Perry and Philip Gorski have documented how influencers use Christian language and symbols to signal political loyalty instead of spiritual transformation. This is not faith. It is branding. And it misrepresents the gospel.
Faith is not about being seen. It is about showing love. If my faith points to anything, I hope it points to grace, not to me.
A Heartfelt Concern
I know some may see this as judgment, but that is not my intention. What I feel is sorrow. Sorrow over how often we use faith to elevate some while pushing others aside. When we turn scripture into a slogan and treat prayer like a performance, the risk harming the heart of the gospel. Too often, unfortunately, we demand vulnerable carry the burden of that distortion. The faith I hold to is meant to restore, not to divide. It is meant to love, not to harm.
