Today is the Day to Love One Another

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”~John 13:34-35 NLT

Today, I had one of those moments when I was surprised and a bit embarrassed about something I had done long ago.  During grade school, I was relentlessly bullied by one particular student that made it her mission to make me feel miserable about myself.  She did a good job, and I have a difficult time even as an adult thinking about her without attaching those negative childhood feelings. 

A friend was seeking elementary classroom pictures for a class reunion, so I quickly scanned and sent her the pictures that I still have. I also scanned the back of one of the pictures where in my 5th grade cursive handwriting I had written the names of all the students. After sending the file, I turned to the back of the picture to read over the names. I was disturbed to see that I had clearly written the word "stinks" after the bully's name.  My first adult reaction was to be embarrassed by what I had written.

I quickly emailed the old friend, and asked her to please not share the back of the picture because I didn't want that to be seen at the reunion. As I waited for her reply, I thought back to those days of being bullied, and joyfully celebrated that those days are in the past and no longer plague my daily life or thoughts.Today is a new day, and the past no longer exists except in the mind.  

As I thought about this, I realized that sometimes even as an adult, I make the same kinds of error in judgment that I did in 5th grade when I wrote on the back of that picture. Although, I try to be kind and caring to others, there are those people that bring out the worst in me and hurt me. I want to lash out when I feel that pain. They want me to be someone I'm not, and don't accept me for who I am. Sometimes in relationships, I may find that I'm the one with the unreal expectations wanting someone else to be who they're not. Yes, it can be troubling when we don't accept one another for who we are. The result may be a relationship that isn't able to grow in a healthy manner because people begin to wear masks to survive rather than being honest about who they are or how they really feel. 

Our daily assignment from God calls us to be kind and caring to one another.  Days will come when we might fail to make the grade, but we have to start each day with the same goal in mind: to serve God by loving and caring for others. It's not always easy, but it's a requirement. Jesus tells us that carrying out His plan, "will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Today is a new day, and the past is history. Only today can we make every effort to love one another. Tomorrow awaits, but what we do today can have a profound effect on the choices we make when it arrives. As my fifth grade teacher always said, "Practice, practice, practice. That is how we learn."

Heavenly Father:

Thank you for accepting us for who we are. Help us to learn to accept others for who they are. Let us reflect your love in our behavior and actions in a way that brings others closer to you.

Amen.