Love your neighbor as yourself....

OK if I could this AM I'd grab you by your shirt collar and if you aren't that much bigger than me I'd shake your shoulders and say "Do you get it?" What's the it you ask? Let me try to answer...

All day yesterday, last night and now this AM I just keep having the same thing running through my head. And it's not just a random thought, it's passion, it's consuming me. It's when Jesus gives us the greatest commandments in Matt 22:37-40 and says the greatest is to love the Lord your God and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Wait? When did "love ourselves" come in first place? When did we start thinking outside of self and realizing that we aren't in our own little worlds?

This song was streaming on my alarm when I woke up this AM?? See the thought won't go away!? Setting my alarm "So Long Self" by Mercy Me was on?!

So yesterday I'm thinking how come we drive by "that house" day in and day out of our neighbor not even sure what they look like, certainly don't know their names, and yet grumble under our breathe that their yard isn't mowed. When if we took the time to say hello we'd realize it's a single mom, raising 3 kids on her own, working 2 jobs, and her dad just came to live with her on hospice (hypothetical situation, I'm just sayin'). We can make excuses and say "Oh I am sooooo busy. Oh I have this that and the other commitments." I say hogwash. Did you notice the I in those sentences, we are back to self.

Sometimes in life when we see activities, entertainments and the like as being lost we feel like we won't be enjoying life to the fullest. Heaven forbid we wouldn't have the newest, nicest flat screen TV on the block, or that our car might have some scratches on the hood and a dent in the fender, or that our kids might take one season off from their 5th sport of the year?? I'm not calling any of that bad I'm just thinking it completely takes us away from those 2 commandments in Matthew 22. We allow those things to completely consume OUR lives and then we are left just rushing around, forgetting Matthew 22.

Oh and I'm the first to admit I am a sinner and guilty as any of putting self first. Just something to think about as you go about your day. What might it be? Maybe it's as simple as pulling your neighbors trashcans in for them? Maybe it's mowing their yard without even asking, just because it needs it and really it only takes like an extra 15 minutes? Maybe it's bigger... maybe it's paying for someones groceries a the store? Maybe it's even bigger like taking a day off from the sports field and serving others in some capacity?  I don't know.

But what if IT changed your life? Let me know how it goes because I'll close with IT has changed mine :)

Be here, now!