A shipwrecked view on love

I saw on the news just now that there are still 15 people missing in some cruise ship that wrecked, and among them are some Americans. Of course the first thing to pop in my mind was "my oh my, we'd better be concerned because there ares some fellow US citizens amongst those who might be dead and are certainly in a position of danger!". Actually thats a lie. The first thing I thought was "I should probably keep track of the news better", cause I didn't even know a ship had crashed until yesterday The second thing I thought was "why in the hell does it matter what country these people are from?" I get being concerned if someone you know is in danger, and I'm aware that the more we have in common with a stranger the easier it is to empathize with them. But does it really matter that out of the more than a dozen people whose lives are on the line a few of them are Americans? I don't think it does. You should know, and its possible that you already do, that I consider my first and most significant loyalty is not to the United states; it is to (what I believe is) the eternal Kingdom of God. Fortunately, the two are (mostly) not mutually exclusive. As a member of Heaven's occupying force (one of the nicknames I have for the church) it is my job to do what I can to help folks, nationality doesn't really matter to much. I care a whole lot that people are in danger or dead, but thats just because their people; bearers of the imago dei (image of God). As such, it is my job to protect them. That Jesus guy I'm so fond of talking about said a few things I like to quote. Things like "Love your neighbor as yourself (taken from the Bible, book of Matthew Chapter 19, verse 19)" and "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt. 5:43-45)" Loving your neighbor enough to understand, we just need to do whats best for the people around us. Our fellow Americans for example. But, that second quote is confusing. My enemies are people I don't like. Typically folks get put into this mental category because they have tried to or would like to hurt me or someone I care about. Emotional, physical, economic damage, whatever they choose as their target doesn't matter. I don't like them and I want their lives to be ruined by awful things. And they deserve it. So here we have neighbors & friends, and then on the other extreme enemies and foes. So far I can say that how they've treated me motivates how I in turn act towards them. But, thats not how I'm supposed to do it. Love (read 1 Corinthians 13's definition to see what I mean by love) requires action, often in a way that goes against emotion. Treat people like I want to be treated, thats kinda what what the big guy said, isnt it? Well I want my enemies to do nice things for me, and if I also am their foe maybe I should be the one to start acting that way? Most likely this will lead to me only getting hurt more and worse, but if I'm going to be a disciple who wants to be like my rabbi, shouldn't I be willing to endure punishment for people who hurt me? Nationality, religion,and certainly not race should affect how I love. Enemy or friend, God blesses them with life and rain. Arab or Englishmen, Terrorist or marine, Christian or Muslim, all mean the same to my King Jesus. To him, all of these titles translate to "loved by God". More to come