Loving Others Like Me

The expert on religious law asked Jesus:
“Who is my neighbor?

Luke 10:29

Some Ideas to Contemplate:

In answer to the question of who our neighbors are, Jesus—Master Mystic, Healer, Teacher, Wayshower—shares “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” to instruct his followers on how to live by the spirit of God’s law. While Jesus is constantly asked to interpret religious law (which he always does correctly), he also teaches that the laws must be applied with wisdom and compassion.

To Jesus, it does not matter whether our neighbor believes exactly what we believe because everyone is a child of God (Higher Power, Supreme Energy, Divine Life Essence, etc.). We do not have to like or understand their lifestyle or choices. In fact, spiritual maturity does not require that we understand everyone. However, it does require that we treat others respectfully. As Rev Peter Scazzero teaches in his 2006 book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, “Respect is . . . is how we treat another person. Regardless of how we might feel about another human being, they are made in God’s image and are of infinite value and worth.”

When we respect others, even if we do not like them personally, we honor their privacy, preferences, voice, and abilities. We recognize that they are fallible, just as we are. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we know we may not be able to walk in another’s shoes, as the expression goes, but we can imagine their difficulties because we have had our own. We notice we have less need to tell them what to do and more need to be fully present and listen. Then, we stop judging their behavior, remembering that sometimes we are witnessing their spiritual journey. We treat them, whoever they are, as one of God’s divine beloveds, knowing that is how we want to be treated, too.

Practices for the Week:

Remember: You are a spiritual being with a radiant soul, living in a sacred body temple, having human experiences.
Reflect on who your neighbors are.
Illustrate, journal, and/or record any ways you may judge them.
Then reframe those judgments compassionately to behold the divine within them.

Photo by noonie from DepositPhotos.

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