“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galations 5:14
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you , so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:10
“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
– Romans 15:2
In high school one of my teachers taught me something that has always stuck with me. She taught me that in all of our interactions with other people, we should keep the following thought at the forefront of our minds: “I have no idea what this person might be going through right now, so I will treat them with the utmost kindness.” A relatively simple approach to life, but so vital if we want to be ministers to others, and be a light in this dark world. When someone cuts in front of you in line at the grocery store, or some “jerk” in the car in front of you seems to have forgotten what the skinny pedal on the right is for…. Keep in mind that for all you know he may have a very good reason to be distracted. He may have just gotten some bad news, or lost his job, or lost a loved one.
*See through God’s eyes*
Ask God to help you see people through His eyes, not your own. It is truly an eye-opening experience because you will begin to see past the rough exterior, past the aggravating habits, and into the heart of someone who was made in the image of Christ. A person who is immensely vulnerable to Satan’s attacks unless he has someone willing to look at him the way his creator does. I have asked God to allow me to see people as He sees them, and at times it brings such sadness that I have to look away.
Next time you’re standing in line at Wal-Mart, or you’re waiting 16 hours to mail something at the post office, take a look at someone standing near you. Can you see it? If you picked someone well-dressed and successful-looking, then look past the designer clothes and picture-perfect hair. If you picked someone who looks a little less fortunate, look past the stained, torn clothing and unkempt appearance. Whoever you picked, look past those superficial, exterior things. Look into their eyes. Don’t you see it? There’s a hurt. And there’s a hunger. A hurt that could have come from any number of things. They may have been hurt emotionally, physically, or financially. Doesn’t really matter. And the hunger could be for food, attention, love, or appreciation. But it’s there. And you’ll see it if you decide not to brush past it in your rush to get out the door, into your car, and back home.
What can you do? Can you strike up a conversation with every person you see, determine what their need is, and then help meet that need? No, maybe not, but you can give them the one thing that every human being on this earth hungers and hurts for – kindness. Just by offering a smile and a kind word to that person, you may give them happiness for a moment, or you may brighten up their entire day, or you may fan a flame that God has started through the obedience of a faithful Christian. Why would an unsaved person ever ask himself “should I look into this Christianity thing?” if he cannot see a difference between the Christians and the non-Christians? For all you know, you could be the only occasion this person has ever had (or ever will have) to see Christ’s love.
*Be nice to everyone – even the mean people. Even when you don’t feel like it.*
Anybody can be nice to someone who is nice to them. If someone sees me showing kindness to a good friend, is that really a demonstration of God’s love to the fullest measure? Sure, we should be kind to our friends (don’t go punch your best friend the next time you see him or her). But what kind of witness is it to a non-believer when they see me always being kind to someone who is not kind to me in return?
We cannot base our actions towards others on our feelings. If you decide to wait until you feel loving and kind before you treat others with love and kindness, you will probably never act. Feelings are so fickle, and we cannot wait until we’re feeling a certain way before we do something God has commanded us to do. He didn’t say “When you feel like it, be devoted to one another”, or “When you’re in a good mood, build each other up”, or “IF your neighbor treats you well, then love that neighbor as yourself.”
