Why People Find It So Hard To Love One Another…

Love, compassion, and understanding are all the underlying tenets behind every person that ever walked on Earth.  So, have you ever wondered why folks find it so hard to love one another?  There’s a short answer really…because they don’t love themselves.  Oh sure, the world is full of people proclaiming copious amounts of self-love, but the real acid test of whether or not a person really loves themselves is, “do they love other people?”  You can only give what you have and if you can’t share some love, you must not have love for yourself!  That then begs the question, why don’t people love themselves?  Another short answer…because they have been taught not to!   I think if you got inside most folks minds you would find a merciless, criticism machine that specializes in, “what is wrong with me.”  I don’t have to prove that claim to you, do I?  What do you tell yourself?  How do you treat yourself?  Would you be proud of the thoughts you think about yourself if they were broadcasted on the big screen?  Being a fellow human, sharing your experiences on Earth, I would have to say probably not.

In the Bible in 1st Corinthians 13, God tells us what love; His love, looks like.  Love in action is certainly more than just saying, I love you.  (Though that is also very necessary)  So here is a little summary of what that love of God looks like:

1.  Love is very patient (long-suffering).

2.  Love is kind.

3.  Love doesn’t burn for what others have and you don’t have.

4.  Love doesn’t make itself appear better than others.

5.  Love is not puffed up and proud.

6.  Love doesn’t behave out of character (like loving this one and hating that one)

7.  Love isn’t only interested in itself alone.

8.  Love isn’t easily agitated or made angry.

9.  Love doesn’t draw conclusions that are evil.

10.  Love doesn’t rejoice in wrongs received by others but rejoices in the truth.

11.  Love protects and covers things.

12.  Love always believes for good.

13.  Love hopes for an expected outcome.

14.  Love stands strong under pressure.

Love never fails!!!

Okay, I hope you are still with me!  Love is clearly something you do with your mind.  Love is a mind-set that you decide to live in.  You will find in life that your thoughts and your mind-sets and your attitude play a huge part in determining how your life turns out.  So why don’t you love yourself or at least continue to love yourself?  Well, look at the list.  Love is  very patient or long-suffering.  How are you Mommas with your two-year olds?  My guess is very patient.  When they lose it, you don’t!  Why?  Because you love them!  So how about with yourself?  Are you very patient with yourself or do you demand flawless performance in every scenario?  Maybe this old world has talked you into setting some unrealistic expectations for yourself?  Love is very kind and tenderhearted.  Are you kind and tenderhearted with yourself?  Is your mind your friend or your enemy?  It seems like you should always be on your side, since you are the only you, you’ve got!  If you’re not for you, who is?  (You getting the picture?)  Then we go into some things love is not.  You will notice (if you are paying attention) that fear is involved in every negative characteristic.  You envy what others have because you are afraid that you wont have.  You try so hard to make yourself look superior because you feel secretly (and wrongly) inferior and are afraid as hell someone might find out!  And on it goes…

So if you would rather live in this world of prevailing hate and fear with love, why not change how you view yourself?  Stop abusing yourself in the secrecy of your own mind and love yourself like God loves you.  Stop criticizing yourself.  Forgive yourself (even for that one big thing!)  Quit measuring yourself against other people who you really cannot know that much about and accept yourself for the wonderful person that God uniquely made you to be.  Unless of course you have concluded that God has some flaws in his humanoid production line!  Practice loving yourself and you will be hard pressed not to share that love with other people.  God has already graciously solved everything that was ever wrong with you and me forever by the accomplishments of His son, Jesus Christ.  Don’t you see, He knows the crapola that goes through our minds and He solved for us what we could not solve for ourselves.  He did it out of love!  He did it so we could finally love ourselves!  No matter what that angry preacher may have told you, God loves you in spite of yourself.  That’s real love…

So, how can you be a part of the solution and not be a part of the problem?  Love yourself like God does, so you can share His love with someone else.  The world needs love man (and woman) and the world needs you to be the one that gives it.  Don’t wait on the other guy, you be the other guy (and gal)!

If you do this, you will find that all of your wrongs will be made right in a hurry.  You will have what you need when you need it because you will have found the key to life ~ love!

It’s election season folks…share some love!