No exceptions

 

It’s simple. Love your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40).  But we never make it simple.  We want control.  We want exceptions.  I can love that nice neighbor.  I have some reservations about those other neighbors.  We want to draw lines: It would be inconvenient for me to spend five minutes to chat with a lonely neighbor.  I’m too busy to reach out to my friend who may be going through a hard time.  That clerk at the coffee place took sooo long to get my order; she deserved my big sighs and eye-rolling.

There aren’t exceptions.  If we are to find God in all things, we have to reach inside of ourselves and be that better person we can be all the time.  Not just when it’s convenient or easy or makes me feel good or lets other people see what a good person I am.  Does this mean I’ll never be impatient or short with someone?  Probably not.  But this commandment does mean that I should think every day about ways that I can love my God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind by living out that second rule.  No exceptions.  No whining.  No it’s-not-my-turn thoughts.

My prayer is to let me be aware of these moments every day where I love my neighbor, where I can send ripples of love and care out into the world.  No exceptions.