It's February 1st, move in day, rent day, 'follow through on the path' day, and of course, reveal the new verse day! Woo Hoo! I am very excited to say that the Lord snuck this one in at the last minute. I keep a list of verses that I want to meditate on and wasn't sure which one would make the cut for February, when all of a sudden, wham! There it was, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39) Oh yes, this is a verse we've cut our teeth on. This is a verse that's been used and overused...not necessarily a bad thing, unless, it has caused a yawn, a mental assent, or a desensitized, 'oh, that one', kind of response. But again, if I were to really and truly take it to heart, and only had this one verse to focus on for the rest of my days, it would change my life.
If I were to view all my relational issues, both good and bad through the lens of, 'love your neighbor as you love yourself', what would my conversations, attitudes, tone of voice, questions, etc look like? How would they change? In other words, do I wait for others to read my mind, jump through hoops, initiate conversation, act just right, before I treat them kindly or with affection? Is my love based on what I get and how I get it? Do I view others through the lens of I want, I want, I want? If so, what if I were to treat them how I want to be treated regardless of their responses, tone of voice, attitudes, indifference (you fill in the blanks)? What if, before reacting in haste, letting the snarky comment sneak out of my mouth, withdrawing my affections, using a parental tone, what if I could actually love them, treat them, respond to them in the way I would like to be treated? Galations 5:22 says I can. The fruit of the spirit are for me. Today. Now. (I do want to clarify here though, if you are in any type of abusive relationship, the first priority is your physical safety and that of any children involved). Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves involves taking care of ourselves. If I love myself, I will nurture my own body, keeping it clean, healthy, groomed, etc. So in an abusive situation, loving my neighbor as myself means protecting my body from harm, and in that way, demonstrating tough love, by removing the object (me) of abuse from the path of the abuser.
When the Lord revealed how iron actually sharpens iron between people, (see the post Beautiful Mess, if you missed it), it caused me to reflect on treating others as I want to be treated, in effect, taking the high road. Then I happened to be listening to a teaching by pastor Jimmy Evans, who spoke about Matthew 22:39 working itself out in our close relationships, and that's when I knew this is the verse for February! So here's the 30-day challenge, or is it 28? I am asking the Lord to show me, daily, how I can love my neighbor as myself. I am asking Him to help me focus on a different aspect of His love each day, or each couple of days. Grace comes to mind today. Treating those around me with grace versus judgment. I am counting on the Holy Spirit to illuminate when I fail. I am counting on Him to point out the shortcomings in me around this issue. Whose been affected by those shortcomings? My husband, my mother, my sister, my brother, my son, my daughter, my friends, no passes here. This is gonna get down and dirty...and I couldn't be more excited! I would love to actually walk out the fruit of the spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control. I'm tired of reading about it, I want to live it, people!
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