How do I love my neighbor as myself?

I am a people person.  I love to be around people especially other Moms who hold similar convictions and values for their family.  Then I am around people that I literally have to ask God why I have to be around these certain people.  Let’s face it; people can be downright rude, disrespectful, and ugly.  Some don’t hesitate to say the very impolite thoughts they are thinking and are quick to meddle and snoop in your life affairs when you never invited them into these areas to begin with.  There are just some people in this world that I would be ok if they just disappeared from my life and I never saw them again.  I can assure you I would not miss them one bit.  Do you have people like this in your life?  Can you think of one person right now?  I have a person just like this in my life at this very moment.

But I am a woman who wants and desires to do God’s word so when I read Mark 12:31 “Love your neighbor as yourself”  I seriously had to ask God how in the world do I love this person who I don’t even like.  (This can be anybody in your life not just geographically your neighbor across the street or living on side of you).

This is how God answered me:  Aimee’, you are only looking at the flesh of this person.  The flesh of a person can be downright evil.  I want you to look past their flesh and see the spirit in them.

Friend, can I tell you it was like a light bulb appeared above my head.  It was like a blanket of heaviness lifted off my shoulders!  Before this revelation I was flustered because I just did not know how to do this scripture but God, with His loving kindness, showed me how to love my neighbor as myself.  I didn’t have to love this person in front of me in a totally physical sense; I now had the answer….. you have to look past the ugliness of what a person is doing and see the spirit inside of them.  I can do this!  I can love this person as myself when my eyes see past the hurtful, wounding actions this person has done to me and focus on the spirit in this person.  

With the holidays coming up, will you be around a person that you would be happy if they just disappeared from your life and you never saw them again?  If so, I want to encourage you the next time you are around this person to look past the insensitive words or actions and see there is a spirit tucked away in this person that God wants you to focus on. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You for showing me how to do Your word.  Thank You that I can look past the unkind and cruel things people do to me and see the spirit inside of them.  Father, I pray for a blessing to be poured over them.  Their flesh is doing things that are against Your word.  I choose today to love them for the spirit that is inside of them.  Touch their hearts, Lord, and open their ears to hear the hurtful words that are coming out of their mouth. Remove the blindness from their eyes so that they can see that what they are doing needs to stop.  Flood them with Your love!  I want them to taste and see the goodness of the Lord.  I ask this in Your name Jesus.  Amen.