In Luke chapter 10, Jesus is asked what it takes to have eternal life. His answer seems simple: Love God and love one another. I play that answer over in my head and I wonder why so much of my spiritual walk has been 10 times more difficult than that sounds. If I did only those two simple things… if you did them… wouldn’t we look and feel so differently than we do now? I need to add that I have a very blessed life and I really do look forward to each of my days. As I sit here, I’m thinking of the instances when I feel impatient, tired, frustrated, fill in the blank.
And I think it’s all in the details. I don’t mean task-like details, I mean thought-like details. Details that lie in judgments. If our judgments for one another were replaced with grace and the fruits of the spirit, and those judgments were given up to the Lord in prayer, wouldn’t it be simple to just love one another? Just… to love? If I didn’t think about “me” and you didn’t think about “you” and we all thought about each other, wouldn’t our love for God be automatic through our actions?
Maybe it’s that simple, or maybe it isn’t. I’m not sure. But I do know that Jesus did not answer in this way, “Love yourself.”
A prayer for today might sound like this: Lord, grant me the fruits of your spirit. May they penetrate my heart and my mind and be shown to those around me. For you have placed these people in my path. May I honor you with my actions.