Love Assumes the Best
I have a real affection towards shoes. Those who know me, understand this and even have made fun of my unique attachment to shoes of all kinds. Two particular brands that I have an affinity for are Adidas and Puma. I recently though discovered the tragic beginnings to these two worldwide known brands. Rudolf and Adi Dassler were brothers that grew up in Herzogenaurach, Germany. They started the Dassler Brothers Shoe company in the 1920’s and began fitting shoes for the German Olympic team. Adi, the younger brother, was the creative one who had a dream of designing shoe specifically for athletes. His older brother Rudolf was the salesman and had a fantastic mind for marketing.
Success happened quickly for the Dassler’s after they made a shoe for Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics which were held in Germany. Owens won 4 gold medals right there in front of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime wearing shoes made by the two German brothers. While this obviously put tension on the brothers and the company, business took off and more and more athletes desired their shoes.
The two brother’s skills complimented each other immensely. Adi continued to design and improve the development of light-weight and performance enhancing athletic shoes while Rudolf grew the business through sales and marketing. Things couldn’t have been going better for the young startup company. Unfortunately, all of this success was beginning to put the brother’s relationship to the test.
When Adi’s wife was hired and became more involved in the business, Rudolf assumed he was getting pushed out. Things became even more tense when Rudolf was enlisted in the Germany army during World War II and Adi wasn’t. The assumption was Adi struck a deal with the German government to get his brother away from the company. There were rumors of infidelity between Rudolf and Adi’s wife. Adi assumed them to be true. During the war, Rudolf went AWOL to return home in paranoia that Adi was taking over the business. While home the Allies began bombing near Herzo. Running into a bomb shelter, which was already occupied by Rudolf and his wife, Adi spurted out “the dirty bastards are back at it again” referring to the Allied forces. Rudolf assumed and was convinced the comment was directed towards him and his family. It was the final straw.
In 1948, the Dassler brothers dissolved the family business. Adi Dassler began Adidas. Rudolf created the company Puma. They stood in front of their employees, upon announcing the company’s split, and made them choose who they would work for. In Herzo, there is a river that divides the town. To this day, the Adidas corporate offices are on one side and Puma is on the other. For the next several decades, the small German town would have divided loyalties between Adidas and Puma. There were “Adidas only” bakeries. There were “Puma only” pubs and restaurants. Employees were not allowed to date or marry across company lines. The children of Adi and Rudolf carried over the family feud and the brothers never spoke nor mended their relationship. Rudolf died in 1974 and Adi died in 1978.
All because of assumption….
We have a tendency to assume the worst in people. How many times have we made conclusions about another person’s motives and then allowed our imagination to run wild? Have you ever not given someone you love the benefit of the doubt through conflict or disagreement only to then let your mind run loose with assumptions? I wonder how many marriages right now are on the brink of divorce because of assumption. Children and parents not on speaking terms because each have assumed negatively what the other is thinking. Relationships at work tainted and strained because the benefit of the doubt was not given. I even wonder how many churches exist today that were created from a split due to the negative assumptions of others.
So what lens are you filtering your relationships through: Cynicism or Love?
In relationships, we tend to get what we look for and what we assume becomes our reality. We filter every situation through either a lens of cynicism or a lens of love. We see other’s responses in the light of assuming the worst or giving them the benefit of the doubt. When we convince ourselves that the other person does not have our best interest at heart, our minds run wild and our actions lead to conflict. Misguided feelings lead to negative thoughts, which lead to wrong responses and ultimately, broken relationships.
Here’s the thing. When we assume the worst in others, we are actually taking the place of God. It’s really an arrogant stance on our part because we perceive to know the heart of another person when only God truly knows. Jeremiah 17:10 reads, “but I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.”
You see, Jesus expects us to assume the best of each other and love requires it. If you aren’t seeing the best in a person, you aren’t loving them! Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35 spell it out pretty clear. He was speaking to his disciples. He was speaking to us when He said, “your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” In one of the most famous passages on love in the Bible, the Apostle Paul writes that, “love thinks no evil… love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (I Corinthians 13:4-7).” When you truly love someone, you will not make negative assumptions of their motives. You’ll assume the best because that’s what love requires! You’ll think no evil of them. You’ll endure and work through conflict and negative thoughts because you believe and trust in the best of that person. When we begin to do that, Jesus said the world will know that we are His disciples.
What would happen if we began to assume the best in each other? What would change if we began filtering our relationships and situations through love rather than cynicism? Think of how our marriages would look. Begin to envision our homes, communities, churches, and world through the lens of seeing the best and assuming the best. Paul said it pretty good, “fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Love assumes the best.
Keep looking up,
Pastor Alan Hannah
Pastor Alan is the lead pastor of Allegheny Center Alliance Church. To find out more about ACAC, go here.
