Love Others as Yourself
The events over the past few weeks have been troubling to say the least, with far-reaching consequences. In the aftermath, there has been anger, confusion, mistrust and division. It seems that the one thing that we can all agree on is that things are falling apart, but for a variety of different reasons. Forces of Evil are dividing this nation, leaving most people with a helpless feeling, wondering what can be done. Some are intimidated to inaction by fear, others just don’t know what to do. However, good CAN come from all of this when each of us lives more fully in the manner for which we were created: to love God and to love each other.
Remember Who You Are
To fully live as God intended, we must first recognize who we are at our core. Today we identify ourselves through groups… by race, sexual orientation or occupation. We are parents, teachers, cops and students. Groups are fine and useful to a point, but when adhere to the roles and beliefs of the group too much, we lose our individuality.
So, who are you? You are a son or daughter of God, created out of love for a purpose, to be born as you are and to live at this specific time. Your heavenly Father has a plan for you, and desires for you to be with him now and for eternity. He sends his Holy Spirit to give you the strength to live fully, and to be able to love in the same way that he loves you. Don’t let the enemy fool you, you have the strength to move mountains, and you are the salt of the earth, a light to the world!
The Answer is Godly Love
Our best response in times like these is to return back to following God’s commandment to love one another. In doing so, we are loving God himself. It is only in this way that together we can heal our society and unite. But “love” has many meanings to many people, and is so overused as a word that it has largely lost its significance. So, here are some thoughts on how to love as God loves us.
Love is Humble
Humility is the key to understanding and to be able to truly communicate with someone. We were created as beings of growth, to learn and increase our knowledge. God is infinite, and we have been created to grow and improve forever, in this life and the next. We strive to become better versions of ourselves, for all eternity. On the flip side, misplaced pride and arrogance stunt our growth and decay us from the inside out. Being humble and admitting that we have more to learn is a key aspect of love.
Love is Empathetic
In order to put the wants and needs of others before our own, we must be able to see the world through their eyes, to feel their pain and happiness and act accordingly. We must not be blind to our own self-centeredness.
Love is Forgiving
Extending forgiveness is so important and crucial that Godly love cannot exist without it. Being unforgiving places a hold on a relationship at best, and at worst will eventually destroy it. This is why God mandates us to be forgiving, even when we would rather not because the hurt is so deep. There is simply no way forward without forgiveness. Also note that forgiveness is extremely personal and exists on the individual level. To forgive a group (or accuse a group of wrongdoing, for that matter) is fruitless, because individuals are responsible for their actions and attitudes, and relationships are ultimately one to one.
There are plenty of hurting people out there that we may encounter in our daily lives. Examples include African-Americans who feel that their voices are not heard, spouses of police officers who worry that their loved ones will not return home from tonight’s shift, and grandparents that worry that the world their grandkids will inherit will be a complete mess. Pray for those that you read about or see on the news. Pray for our leaders and for leadership in general.
If we bring forth God’s love unconditionally and consistently, we will become instruments of God’s Plan for healing in this country.
