godawarenessdaily

This is the great and first commandment (loving the Lord with all you heart). And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:39)

Breathe deeply for a few minutes, and after your mind is quiet, think about the above passage. Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Would you do for you neighbor all those things which you would be willing to do  for yourself? Is it something we are expected to achieve, or do you think it is simply a goal we should try to attain?
As with most of these questions on which we reflect, there are no definitive answers. We will each answer them in our own way. Some of us will not be sure which is the answer Jesus would have expected. I once found myself with tongue-in-cheek saying that it would depend upon the neighbor.
It is good to think about these questions; perhaps it is more important that we consider them than that we find answers. We may never know the answers for sure—at least not in this life. Certainly, God would want us to try to love all His children. If we are tempted to gossip about our neighbor, we might think twice about it if we consider how we would feel if our neighbor gossiped about us.
When it comes to human relations, if we take the time to think about how we would feel if we were in another’s shoes, we might find that we are willing to act differently. It is always a good idea, before acting, to think about whether what you plan to do is the loving thing to do. It can surely do us no harm to attempt to treat those around us as we would like to be treated. Why not try this out today.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for May 5th