Loving Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love. We all love someone and at some point in our lives. You can't escape it. Loving your neighbor is a hard thing to do. It's easy when it's someone at your church or a really close friend, but what about that guy that just cut you off; the man who called you a name because you have 11 items (by accident) in the 10 items or less checkout line; the woman in the car your grocery cart just hit because your cart slipped in the snow, yells at you. How do you love those people when you're mad, caught off guard, in a bad mood?

Guess what? Loving your neighbor is a choice. How you react to those scenarios is a choice. I know in the moment it's hard to choose to not get mad and to love that person. I know because these are all experiences I've had...and, at the time, I chose to get mad and not love those people.

A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to see myself a little differently. I saw other people doing the things I do, reacting and not choosing to love.

Sitting in Starbucks with my husband, I observed a woman get out of the passenger side of the car and slam the door. It seemed she was mad and yelling at the driver (boyfriend/husband, I don't know). He proceeded to the door of Starbucks, while she stood by the door of their vehicle and yelled at him...seeming like she might go back in the car. Eventually they made their way into Starbucks and stood in line not saying a word to each other, each looking at their cell phone and avoiding each other. I've been that woman. Again, focusing on whatever the problem is and not loving my neighbor (spouse).

Sometimes it's really hard to love that other person, especially in our culture today (the me-generation). It's all about me, what I want, what I'm doing...that's not what God intended for us. So, if you're wondering what you can do to make this world a better place, it's simple: Love your neighbor. Love the guy that cut you off, the man who called you a name and the woman who yelled at you. When we choose to love those people instead of reacting to them, you'll be surprised what can happen.

Luke 10:25-37
 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”


 

Why do you run?

While I have not personally been asked this question from anybody, I do ask it of myself. Why do I run?

First off, last year when I ran, I lost 10 lbs. TEN POUNDS! That's a good reason right there.

I also run because when I am running, my mind is blank. I'm focused on running, staying and finishing the run strong. The worries of today or tomorrow are not plaguing me...my mind is empty, blank...and it's great! I can't even tell you another time in my life when my mind was not racing. But when I run, my mind is focused on finishing. Talk about stress-relieving!

That's all I've got, but I believe those are two great reasons to continue to run.

This past week we signed up at our local park district for their exercise facilities. We only signed up for one month, so far...figured we'd better test run and make sure we're going to go before we plop down the full-year membership all at once. So far, so good. I went twice this week and ran on a treadmill (for the first time in my life). It's not so bad. The hardest part for me is when I get off the machine - adjusting to walking on solid ground (guess you could say I get sea legs running on the treadmill). Part of the reason for joining a gym, 1) last year I didn't run all winter because it was too cold outside (my running clothes aren't as warm as I'd like them to be); 2) I run after work and I don't have reflective gear for night running. I'm totally fine with all of that, but when I can run outside, I'm going to.

Tomorrow is a run day, I'm hoping the weather's nice enough, so I can just get up, put my running clothes on and run out the door and around the neighborhood. Otherwise, it's to the gym I go.

Joining the gym isn't so bad anyway. You get to run indoors and not suffer through the cold and 50,000 layers; there is a lot of other equipment to use. So, I can run, then I can do some ab work, lift weights, whatever. Whereas if I just ran on the streets, I probably wouldn't do the other stuff. So, yes, joining the gym is a good thing. Just need to stick with it, which I'm planning to do.

Feel free to share why you run.