So, I had an interesting experience this week. On Monday, Labor Day, I was in my house getting ready to eat dinner when I received a knock at my front door. Being the cautious girl I am, I took a look through the peephole, and saw it was one of my neighbors. So, I proceeded to open the door, thinking this was perhaps just a simple neighborly "hello" kind of visit.
Boy, was I mistaken! In a period of less than three minutes my neighbor blasted me out over a ridiculous issue, and had made me feel less like a human being and more like a hungry termite who was so despicable that I was ruining the very foundations upon which our humble Wilmington community sits.
Over what? What did I do that was so awful? Are you ready?......I gave an outdoor stray cat a home. Yeah, I won't go into the details, but let's just say she believes that keeping cats indoors is against nature and that I was robbing this poor animal of his life. It's funny, though, because I always thought that cars, foxes and mean neighborhood bullies were the primary destroyers of the well-being of animals.
At first, as you can imagine, I was absolutely furious! How dare she come knock on my door, yell at me and expect me to do anything other than slam the door in her face?! But after a good night's sleep and a few days of reflection, I have now been faced with the big question: How do I respond to her now? I do not mean, how do I respond about the cat -- after all, that was five days ago. I mean, how do I respond to her when I see her outside, when she needs help getting some groceries out of her car, when our cars pass each other in the parking lot?
Once I do as much thinking as I can, I usually finally find myself seeking the One whom I should have sought from the outset -- Christ. What would he say? How would he respond to this woman? We all know Jesus went to the cross. He literally allowed people to beat him and kill him. But, I'm not Jesus. I don't dare follow his literal example, right? Doesn't that get me off the hook?
Unfortunately, when I read his words, I realize that it's not necessarily about following his actions, but it is about following his command. In Mark 12:31, Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment under the law is to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Okay, I get it, so I should love her just as much as I love myself. But, that sets up a condition for my love, doesn't it? You see, there are moments where I do not love myself nearly as much as I should. In fact, there are times I downright despise who I see in the mirror. So, again, I'm off the hook -- I don't have to love this "neighbor" of mine very much at all.
Oops, that was under the law. Now, we are under Christ. And in John 13:34 Jesus gives us a "new command": "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Rats!
"As I have loved you....." Christ has loved me beyond anything I could ever deserve. People have time and again hurt me, and let me down. People have told me they love me with one breath, while packing their bags to leave with the next. People have betrayed my trust. I have even betrayed myself. But Christ, he has loved me with a perfect and unending love, a love that has been present even when my faith was not.
So what does all this mean? I can guarantee you that I will fall miserably short of this command when it comes to loving my neighbor. Sure, I can fake it. I can smile, and wave to her when I see her. I can even help her with those groceries (and pat myself on the back the whole time). But, can I truly love her with a love that is sacrificial, a love that endures despite the insults being hurled at me? The answer is "no."
But, can the Spirit love her through me? We'll have to wait and see........
