Finding Family in the Ripples
When you think of the golden rule, what comes to mind?
Do you remember the part about loving your neighbor, or do you start with loving God?
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:4-9
It always seemed odd to me that we would be commanded by God to love God. Shouldn't that come naturally?
When I focus on the main message Jesus had for his followers, for us, I think of the part about loving and helping each other.
God knows we have a hard time staying committed. All throughout the Old Testament, we read of failed attempts to stay the course.
Maybe we just try to remember too much. One commandment, one thing to remember, that should be easy, right?
So, why is this one thing so hard?
Why do we treat each other poorly and still manage to think we are doing alright by God?
Imagine the love we share with each other is like a series of ripples in the water.
At the center is me. I make a big splash; the love I send out is visible and filled with energy.
The first ring in the water is my love for my family.
If I had to judge how much I show my love for God by how much I show my love for my family, I know I am good.
The next ring extends that to the love I show for my friends, and I see that it is still fairly strong. Maybe I could do a bit more than I do, but I am still good.
The next ring is the love to acquaintances, and I may feel good about myself again, since I treat them well. I am polite, friendly, welcoming.
Go a little further, and the politeness becomes acceptance. Further still, and acceptance becomes indifference.
By the time I get to my enemies?
The greater the distance from the center, the weaker the strength of my love. I guess I can't help that unless I change the way I look at the world.
What if I try to see everyone I meet through God's eyes.
If I do that, we are all children, so we are all family. That means I can even simplify the one commandment down to one relationship, love my family as myself.
And since God is the heart of that family, I get Him in the picture as well.
Wow.
That sounds so simple.
Now, do you think I can remember that?
More to come...
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