Love Your Neighbor. Submit to Authority. Yes, Both.

If you've been online at all lately, you've probably felt it-the tension, the anger, the lines being drawn.

Recent events in Minneapolis involving ICE enforcement have sparked intense reactions across the country. A woman was killed. Protests erupted. Politicians weighed in. And depending on which news source you read or who you follow on social media, you've likely seen two completely different stories about what happened and who's to blame.

I'm not here to tell you which narrative to believe. I have my own opinions, of course. However, investigations are ongoing, facts are disputed and I wasn't there.

But I am here to ask a harder questions: As Christian women, how do we respond biblically when the world around us is this divided?

The Tension We Feel

Let's be honest-this is uncomfortable territory.

We watch the news and feel pulled in multiple directions. We grieve when life is lost. We value justice. We care about the vulnerable. We also believe in law and order. We want to support those in authority who are doing difficult, dangerous jobs.

And we're told, sometimes loudly and aggressively, that we have to pick a side.

But what if scripture calls us to hold two things at once?

What Scripture Actually Says

Let's start with Romans 13:1-2:

"Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's comman, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves."

Not exactly a popular message right now. In fact, the majority of us will really only apply this to ourselves if the person we like is in office. That's not how this works.

Paul doesn't offer caveats based on who's in office or whether we agree with every policy. He writes to Christians living under Roman rule- an empire far more brutal than anything we experience today-and tells them to submit.

Why? Because God is sovereign over all authority. That doesn't mean every leader is righteous or every law is just. It means that we trust that God is still in control, even when the world feels chaotic.

Then there's 1 Peter 2:13-17:

"Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God's will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God's slaves. Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

Peter adds something important here: our submission silences ignorant talk. Our conduct-not our social media posts, not our outrage-is what speaks loudest.

But What About Loving Our Neighbor?

Here's where it gets beautifully complex.

Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). And when asked "Who is my neighbor?" He told the parable of the Good Samaritan-a story that crossed ethnic, political, and social boundaries.

Loving our neighbor means seeing the image of God in every person. The immigrant (even those who are in this country illegally). The law enforcement officer. The grieving family. The person on the other side of the political divide.

It does not mean abandoning truth. It doesn't mean pretending there are no laws. It does not mean letting emotion override what Scripture clearly teaches.

It means holding both-love and truth-, compassion and order-even when the world insists we can only choose one.

The Real Problem

What grieves me most right now isn't the division itself, although that is maddening. I cannot fathom how we think calling each other nazis, fascists, racists, and refusing to engage and listen to one another is going to make a positive change in our world. How we are treating each other within this division is the real issue.

I've watch Christians slander other Christians for supporting law enforcement. I've seen people called hateful and heartless for believing that laws should be upheld. I've seen scripture twisted to fit narratives, softened to avoid offense, and repackaged to make everyone feel comfortable.

And I've felt the temptation myself-the pull toward anger, toward defensiveness, toward firing back.

But 2Timothy 4:3-4 reminds us:

"For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths."

We are living in that time.

The question is not whether the world will reject sound doctrine. It will. The question is whether we, as women who follow Jesus, will hold fast to it anyway.

So What Do We Do?

We grieve loss of life. Every life matters to God.

We pray for our leaders-all of them-whether we voted for them or not. As 1 Timothy 2:1-2 instructs: "First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all goodness and dignity."

We obey the law, not out of blind allegiance, but out of trust in a sovereign God.

We love our neighbors-including those who disagree with us-without compromising truth.

We refuse to be swept up in the emotional tide of the moment, choosing instead to anchor ourselves in scripture.

We speak when it's right to speak. And we remain silent when silence is wiser.

What About Unjust Laws?

This question always comes up, and it's a fair one.

Scripture does show us moments when believers disobeyed human authority-the Hebrew midwives refused to kill babies, Daniel who prayed despite the king's decree, Peter and John who said, "We must obey God rather than men."

But here's the key: those were situation where obeying human law would have meant directly disobeying God's command.

Enforcing immigration law-whether we personally agree with every policy or not- does not fall into that category. We may have opinions. We may advocate for change through proper channels. But civil disobedience is not the same as biblical disobedience, and we must be careful not to confuse the two.

Standing Firm When It Costs

This is not easy.

Speaking up for law and order right now might cost you friendships. It might get you labeled. It might make you unpopular in spaces you used to feel welcome.

But since when did following Jesus come with a promise of popularity?

We were never called to be comfortable. We were called to be faithful.

So if your conviction puts you at odds with the crowd-even the Christian crowd-take heart. You are not alone. And more importantly, you are not wrong for holding to what scripture says.

Love your neighbor. Submit to authority. Yes, both.

Even when it's hard. Even when it's unpopular. Even when you stand alone.

That's what it means to be unshakeable.