Today I'm going to talk about something I have struggled with for years, "loving your neighbor as yourself." I know that many people wouldn't probably guess that but it's true. Everyone struggles with this from time to time but I most often don't struggle with it in the way that is always emphasized growing up. It's those last two words, "as yourself," that get me.
There are many other ways that Jesus could have phrased it. For example, he could have said, "Love your neighbor for everyone was created by God" or he could have said, "Love your neighbor or on judgement day you will burn." Okay, he probably wouldn't have said the second one but you get the idea. ;)
My point is Jesus wants you love your neighbor as yourself. As Yourself. He is not saying your neighbor is better than you and therefore you must love them. He wants you to love them as you love yourself which means you need to love yourself.
Loving yourself is easier said than done. I know this from personal experience and I know many, if not all of you, can relate. I am really, really good at neglecting myself to attend to the needs of others. I am also really good at just disliking, and sometimes hating myself.
I am, for the most part, good at being nice to people as well as being the bigger person. I try to go out of my way to help people and to make random acts of kindness a big part of my life. Yes, I can be very judgemental (which I have been working on) but overall I try to be nice. Many would say that I am meeting what Jesus commanded us to do but many times I'm not. I'm neglecting the last part of the commandment.
To drive the point home here is a picture I found that helps explain who we are called to love:
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| Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/341429215472534656/ |
One final thought that helps me and may help you also and then I will get off my soap box. If you want to know if you are keeping with the last part of the commandment, think about something you wouldn't judge someone else for doing. Are you judging yourself for doing the same thing? Or think about something you are happy about for somebody else that you have also accomplished. Are you giving yourself credit for what you have done?
This weekend's good things:
1. Finished an excellent book.
-I love happy endings that make you smile and aren't sickeningly sweet.
2. Had a decent drive back to school.
3. Hearing about answered prayers.
-This is a new post by the family I talked about last week. They are a great inspiration.
Monday's good things:
1. Got my obnoxious homework assignment done. :P
2. Hung out with my awesome friend Melanie to finish said obnoxious homework assignment. :)
-All my classmates would agree that that assignment was horrible. It took Melanie and I several hours but we got it done.
3. Having an an excellent phone-a-friend system in place for working on obnoxious assignments.
-Our grad school class is not afraid to ask each other for help. Melanie and I ended up texting our friend Meghan who was nice enough to help us on a question we were completely stumped by. :)
Tuesday's good things:
1. The sun was shining.
-Maybe, just maybe, spring is coming. :)
2. My lazy butt went to the gym.
-It's a good stress reliever.
3. Nothing is due tomorrow.
-This means that anything I work on tonight does not have to be finished and I can go to bed at a decent time. :)
Thank you for reading.
Hope you are doing well!
Blessings,
Veronica
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