The Evangelist Speaks

by Evangelist Carolyn Griffin

Loving God, our Neighbors,
and Ourselves II

In our last article, we discussed loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus gave us a second commandment to follow as well. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. The word for “neighbor” appearing in Mark 12:31 means “near”. Jesus says we are to love those we bump up against each day. This includes family, colleagues, schoolmates, fellow church members, cashiers, restaurant staffs, and hosts of others. And yes, we are also expected to love our enemies, to love the testy ones, to love the ones that we know are setting traps and possibly digging ditches for us. How can we love everyone! We love them because the Love of Christ is in us. He loved much, so much, that while we were yet sinners he died for us. We are to love others unconditionally.  When we love with no strings attached and expecting nothing in return, we are not disappointed when our neighbors don’t respond or react the way we expect them to. In our quest to love others; in the mist of, in spite of, and regardless to, we must remember that “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”. Yes we can and we must love one another.

Many of us have problems loving others because we are still trying to figure out how to love ourselves as we should. When we speak of self-love, we don’t mean a selfish love. That type of love is perverted and simply says it’s all about me, me and more me. My wishes, my desires, my feelings, my needs, my past, my pain, how I look and what I have. Healthy self-love on the other hand, says that I know and love my true self. When we love ourselves the right way, we are cherishing and celebrating the person that God created us to be. We are confident in the fact that we were made in His image and likeness, and have been blessed with unique gifts, talents, and abilities. Healthy self-love means loving what God loves in my personality, while recognizing that I am a work in progress in the Master’s hands. Jesus calls for self-denial, not self-hate. We must learn to love ourselves as God loves us, see ourselves as God sees us, and walk in the things that God has called each of us to do.

As we strive toward healthy self-love, we will find it easier to love our neighbors. We will come to a realization that they too are a work in progress. We will learn to be patient with others because God isn’t finished with any of us yet. As we think of how much God loves us, we will begin to share that same love with others. We will stop being so critical and judgmental, we’ll walk away from the envy, jealousy, and strife. We will celebrate the gifts and talents of others, while showing love and compassion when they make mistakes or fail to live up to our expectations. Take a few moments and meditate on where you might be if it were not for God’s Grace, Mercy and Unfailing Love. Because of that unconditional love, we should all strive to live out Mark 12:30-31. I can only imagine what our homes, churches, schools, communities, nations and the world would be like if those of us who profess to be Christians followed these commandments from our Lord and Savior. Love is what Love does. Let’s Do It!! Love God, Love Ourselves, And Love Our Neighbors!!