God, other people, and me

 

For me, the beauty of the Scriptures is finding out that no matter how many times I’ve read a certain passage, I can walk away with an entirely different message each time.  Today, I was reflecting on the First Letter of Saint John, and I was drawn to his simple, yet powerful message of love [1 John 4:11-18].

There are only three people in the world: God, other people, and me.  In the manner of Jesus, I present a modern-day parable: A wealthy friend lives in a distant city and yet watches over me with great care and generosity.  When I asked what I could do to show my gratitude and to repay that generosity, my friend said that he already knew how much I depended on him and appreciated his help and that he already had all he could ask for.  But, he said, he had another friend who lived right next door to me, and he would appreciate it if I could care for that other friend.

God has loved us and done all that He can to raise us up to be His healthy, happy, and mature children.  There’s nothing we can really offer Him in return: He doesn't need glory and He already has anything that we could give to Him, but He does want us to love our brothers and sisters living right next to us, imitating His own love.

When we do that, we show that we are truly our Father's children.  We give without asking whether our sister or brother is worthy or not, we love without judging whether our gift is fully appreciated, and we remain faithful to them without counting the cost.  Or at least we try as hard as we can to do so.  It’s only in this way that we can appreciate God's own love for us and grow to its full measure, only thus that we can fully accompany Jesus in His own saving and seemingly often thankless mission.  And it’s the only way that we can really give God the thanks and glory that He deserves for all of His love for us.

God is love, and the one who abides in God abides in love, and God in him.