1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. He who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Loving an abstract "all humanity" or a distant "God" often requires only a cheap emotional expression; but loving a "neighbor" sitting across from you, with their everyday life and even stubborn prejudices, requires genuine self-sacrifice. Interviews are not only cross-cultural academic research, but also a process of stripping away self-superiority. When we try to share truth with others, if we lack empathy for their real-life struggles, our message becomes a "resounding cymbal." The depth of our service to God will never exceed the breadth of our love for our neighbor. To see the weakness of others without belittling them, to perceive their resistance without retreating, is because even in the humblest of people, the wounded yet noble image of God still shines.
Lord, forgive me for often falling into the hypocrisy of "empty talk of loving God, yet having no heart to love others." Holy Spirit, open my eyes so that I may see not only their cultural labels, but also the thirst of their souls. I entrust the family I interviewed today entirely to you. Loosen the soil in their hearts, dismantle the strongholds that hinder their understanding of the truth. May today's dialogue be not only an exchange of information, but also a transmission of the fragrance of Christ. Lord, grant me patience and humility, so that in my future studies and ministry, I may learn to love my visible brothers and sisters through concrete actions, so that Your unseen love may become real and credible in their lives through my weakness and faithfulness. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.