When I pull any Lucille “Big Mama” Allen rules out of her vast faith driven Playbook, I stand to change a life just by absorbing and passing on wisdom from Big Mama on the back porch or front porch.
Lucille “Big Mama” Allen would always speak her truth in the powerful Black woman position, her hands on hips stance, and the voice would begin with a term of endearment “Honey, you got to hate the sin but love the sinner.” Her legacies became part of lifetime lessons.
She taught me how to seek knowledge, recognize the good in most people even why they demonstrate bad and evil behaviors. Her most important request from her Sin/Sinner advice was to publicly and personally recognize the sin or wrong doing but lend support to the person’s soul and spirit. That was Lucille “Big Mama” Allen’s grace and mercy statement.
Let me tell you about my beloved grandmother audience, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen filled her three sons and three daughters, 16 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren, 38 great-great grandchildren, seven great great–great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and bonus family members with simple, Bible-based logic for us to use all throughout our lives.
When she talked about loving the sinner she uttered James 3:4, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”.
So, if you really, really want to hate someone’s sin, hate a sin which is actually hurtful like rape, murder, incest, child abuse, and any other of one of the other destructive sins so you are telling me that those who stormed the seat of the government creating an insurrection; those who killed innocent people charged with a replacement theory belief system and those who wish to shut down factual history in our curriculums are supposed to love them? I do not think so!
We sin ourselves all the time and at no time do we blink an eyelash at it. And when we are clocked on it, we make excuses.
We have to do something about the divisive and attack mode we as citizens are currently in. We have to mobilize in unity and save the country and create a new attitude.
The only part of the “Love the Sinner; Hate the Sin” statement that is doable is “love.”
And so, I ask you. Can love be enough?
Big Mama said, “Jesus loved this other person enough to die for them. And if He loved them, why can’t we? I say let’ supersize love. I let the love I saw at City Men Cook be an everyday situation.
So, the next time your words want to say “Love the Sinner; hate the sin,” just stop at love. Go restore democracy. Use love as the tool and drop the weapons.
Terry Allen is an award-winning media professional, journalist, and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of City Men Cook and 1016 Media. Reach him at terryalllenpr@gmail.com
