Love your neighbor as yourself

One of the things that I really struggle with as a Christian is the second great commandment.

Jesus simplified and explained the original 10 commandments into two:

  • love God with all your heart, soul, and mind
  • love your neighbor as yourself

The first is hard. The second is even harder – especially for me. I’m not necessarily a person who just finds it easy to love everyone. I’m usually in too big of a hurry, pursuing my latest goal. Or I’m judgemental, and not seeing the person for who she or he really is in God’s eyes.

I’ve been trying to work on that lately … by telling myself as I see a person, any person: Jesus loves him. Jesus loves her.

As the Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son – that whoever believes in Him should have everlasting life.”

If that’s true, God loves people. And if He does, I should. And it’s somehow easier if I remind myself every time I see someone, silently, with these words:

“God loves you.”