[Blog] Love act

"Love thy neighbor." Sounds cliche right? I'm sure in your lifetime, you have heard this line at lease once but definitely, not never but what is it really to love our neighbor? How do we show that we love them?

When we see someone is in dire need, we stop and help. When we see someone rushing to the elevator with piles of stuff, we stop, hold the door for them and let them in. Sometimes, we go an extra mile and share the load they have on hand. If we see an old lady unsure whether to cross the street or not, we walk towards her and help her cross to the other side. When  a classmate is having a hard time understanding the lesson, we stop and lend a hand, same goes in the workplace. 

These are some of the many examples of showing love for our neighbors. You may not have an audience to applaud you as you do this but we got The One who sees everything (Hebrews 4:13). But are these for real? Don't get me wrong. If this is you, I admire you with such love in your heart but let me tell you that there are simple and little gestures that we can show love to our neighbor. 

When we wake up in the morning, we fix our bed. After taking a bath, we don't leave the bathroom cluttered with our stuff. When we go to the FX terminal or wait for the elevator, fall in line and wait for your turn. Greeting the security guard or the janitress a good morning. After chewing gum, we we don't leave it under the table or chair. When we're drying up our hands, we take one or two papertowels. When we're done with our shift, we clean our station and push the chair back where it was originally placed. Forgiving the person who hurt you the most. Apologizing for the hurt you caused someone. Returning the books you borrowed when done reading it. Sharing what you have even if that's the only thing left with you. No to vote buying. No littering. No smoking in an airconditioned room. 

You may think that I am derailing myself from my thought flow but I am not. Showing that you respect someone is an act of love. Showing that put the other person ahead of you is an act of love. Showing love through these two simple gestures is grand in my own opinion. Please do not confuse showmanship with this for, admit it or not, there are those who love to show off but God knows you and your motives in doing so (Psalm 139). And besides, God loves us so much that He sent His only Son (John 3:16) to pay for our sins, that's real love. When the sinless Son obeyed the Father to become sin and be hung on the cross, that is selfless love. I was then reminded of Jesus' command to love each other as He has loved us (John 15:12). If Jesus loves us for what we are, then we know how to really love our neighbor. 

Putting others first is something that we fail to commit in consistently doing because of our selfish nature but if we know that we are forgiven, accepted and loved unconditionally, our perspective will change. If we only look through the eyes of Jesus then I say that this is possible. After all, Jesus said "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31a) and we ourselves are the first ones to know how to value and love others as much as we value and love ourselves. Hard? Yes, it is true but with God's help, this is possible. We may think that one is like a sand paper to us but do keep in mind that we may also be one to another. Remember that Jesus also had encountered people as such in His time but He chose to love them no matter what. Amazing, yeah but that's how He moves - with love. 

Now, let me ask you this, how do you love?