Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Most Important Lesson I Learned



Some say it's impossible to love your enemies.  Jesus says you must love them.  I didn't learn how to do this until much later in life.  I consider it the most important life lesson I ever learned.  Follow these simple suggestions and you will find an inner peace few people ever discover:

  1. Learn to see Jesus in every person you interact with.  Some make it harder than others to do this, especially the ones you have the most trouble with.  Dig deep and don't stop until you find Jesus.
  2. If you can't find Jesus in your enemies, understand that this individual may be looking for Jesus but doesn't know how to move forward.   Your conflict with this person has to do more with Jesus being absent than who you are.  Be patient and show love rather than a cold shoulder.  You may be the one person in the world who can help this person find Jesus.
  3. Love others no matter what.  If you only love based on how others love you back, you are short-changing yourself.  Holding back your love for others reduces your own happiness.  If you are holding on to a grudge, try letting go of it.  Try loving your enemies.  Just pick one person in your life who torments you and promise yourself you will love him or her no matter how difficult they make it.
  4. Do not leave anyone off the list of people you love.  If this is hard for you, focus on one enemy at a time.  Be careful.  Having one enemy on your list that you don't love will increase the chances your list will grow.  This will infect you like a computer virus.  Install antivirus into your heart and keep it virus free.
  5. Let your actions be stronger than your words.  Your willingness to practice acts of kindness with your enemies are more important than what you say.  Let your actions speak for themselves about your love for others.
Love is an invisible force.  You are Luke Skywalker.  Use the force.  The world around you will never be the same.  Feel free to add to today's story by leaving a comment below.

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