Love God and Love Others

You’re almost there. You have almost made it to the end of 2020 and the horizon of 2021 is starting to peak out around the corner. If you feel anything like I do, this past year has crawled by but at the same time, it’s as if we blinked and Christmas is fast approaching. As we approach the end of the year, I feel like the weariness really starts to set in, the stress of the holidays and the past year is really starting to make itself known. If we aren’t careful, the inward stress starts to spill out on how we interact with people. Our patience is a little thinner and our words can become a little sharper.

In a year that has been filled with debates, arguments, this side, that side, anger, frustration, loss, grief, and anything else that has been thrown our way, let us not forget the greatest commandment that Jesus has given to us as believers, and that is to love.

“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.”

Matthew 22:37-39

It may be a small, obvious reminder, but sometimes we get so caught up in the negativity that we lose sight of what our purpose is and how we are called to treat others. In a world that can try to make everything complex and difficult, it’s always a good idea to go back to our basics, our roots of what we believe, it all goes back to the commandment in the above verse:

 Love God and Love Others

The more time we spend in God’s word, pray for the Spirit to work in us, rest in Him, and are filled by His love and grace, the more capacity we have to share that same love with others. You may be in a season where you are clinging and trusting to His word, but still feel as if you have nothing left to give, there are still ways you can love on those around you. No matter how big or small, we are called to share His love with others. Here are a few tangible ways you can do that this season:

• Call and check on a friend that you haven’t spoken with for a while. Take the time out and listen to how they are doing and ask about their life. 
• Pay for someone’s coffee in line or meal at a drive-thru. A small gesture like that can turn around a stranger’s day.
• Offer to help a family member with a task or project, maybe it’s offering to help cook for Christmas dinner.
• Pray for your family, friends, co-workers, and enemies. 

It may seem cliché, but I do believe it’s the little ways we love others in words and in actions that make a big impact. I think now more than ever we can use a little more love, whether it’s by showing patience, a small favor, or just lending an ear to listen, we all can use more love and grace. In a season where we remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior and where His story begins to change the world, do not forget to give the same grace, love, and forgiveness that He has given us.