INDIFFERENCE

 

I believe that indifference is the antithesis of love. Nobody is created with indifference. Children are never indifferent. They love and they hate things, but they’re never indifferent. Indifference is a defensive mechanism gone bad.
The child gets a pet goldfish and cares deeply for the goldfish. The goldfish dies. The child is hurt, discouraged and disillusioned. The parent offers to buy the child another goldfish but the child says,
“I don’t like goldfish anymore”
The defensive mechanism has been put into place.
We were created to love. The only commandment Jesus gave was to love.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:34-35

We should always love, but if we love we will invariably be hurt, discouraged, disillusioned or wounded. It will always, eventually, happen.
We will usually withdraw a bit to recover and that’s OK. Then we will often be tempted to remain withdrawn to avoid another hardship. Indifference takes root when we remain withdrawn. We remain withdrawn because of fear. We tend to be afraid of the price we pay when we love. If we remain withdrawn we will usually withdraw even more as time goes by.
Compassion and Love is where we were created to abide.
Indifference is a curse when it becomes your habitation.

What I’ve learned in my recovery from indifference in my own life is that most, if not all, character defects are fear based. They are a result of fearing that I will not get what I need if I don’t do something myself. The antithesis of this fear is trusting in God’s unconditional love completely to meet all of my needs.

“Love is patient and kind.
Love knows neither envy or jealousy.
Love is not forward and self-assertive,
nor boastful and conceited.
Love is full of trust, full of hope,
full of patient endurance.”
I Corinthians 13:4-7

Indifference is apathetic, complacent, disinterested, not prone to being curious and unconcerned.

If we truly follow the path of love we will live a life that includes pain and suffering.

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
Philippians 1:29

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice for man comes from the Lord. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, and he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.”
Proverbs 29:25-27

“So, because you are lukewarm; neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
Revelations 3:16-17

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