Love thy neighbor as thyself: As member of the LDS faith(Mormon) we attend church in a three hour block. Sacrament(Communion to some) Sunday School and Relief Society for the Sisters and Priesthood for the Men. In the third hour the women and men are all studying the same thing; talks by our past Prophet George Albert Smith.
The topic Love thy neighbor was the subject: In Matthew 22 37-40 it states Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
So what does it really mean to love thy neighbor? and who is our neighbor?
In the lesson George Albert Smith said the following
"All people are our brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father.
We look upon all men as our brothers, all women as our sisters; we look upon the face of every human being that is in the world as a child of our Father, and believe that as each is in the image of the Father, so also each possesses a spark of divinity that if developed will prepare us to return to His presence." …
When we get up and face each day do we look at each person we come in contact that way?
It is a worthy goal, to look at all mankind as a brother or sister as a child of God. In families we know that it is not always peaches and cream there is happy times and hard times; so it is with our neighbor there will be many people we struggle to get along with. But if we look at our neighbor as a Child of God we can see them as our Father in Heaven sees them as his child who he loves unconditionally.
Pres Smith goes on to say : "As I think of my regard and my affection for my Father’s family, the human family, I remember something my earthly father said, and I think probably I inherited that in part from him. He said, “I have never seen a child of God so deep in the gutter that I have not had the impulse to stoop down and lift him up and put him on his feet and start him again.” I would like to say I have never seen one of my Father’s children in my life that I have not realized he was my brother and that God loves every one of his children."
When I read his comments I thought to myself how am I doing am I true... do I treat my fellow friends, co workers, the man on the corner with the sign, the person who cuts you off on the freeway and most importantly my family. So I decided to put myself to the test.. and pay attention to my actions through the week as life came at me. Well I have to say when I focused my attention on myself I saw more clearly all the different situations I had an opportunity to respond or serve my neighbor.
It is like that old saying If you ask for patience you will get a trial to test you patience.
The true test of a man or women is when times are difficult or challenging.
I saw how my prayer was answered, I was tested all week. I think I did fine but it defiantly was like looking in the mirror all week; seeing myself and the person I am today, recognizing the improvements I can make.
I have always believed I should love my neighbor as myself, but I think it is time to really work on how I can show my neighbor I love them. It is an individual decision to be kind and caring.
I love that we are given the opportunity to be clay in the Masters hands, to know that he will mold us to the son or daughter he knows we have the capacity to be. Just like Pres Smith stated in the earlier quote. We all have a spark of divinity in us if developed that being the key word. We will then be worthy to live in his presence.
So I will keep up with my efforts to widdle away my weakness and make them my strengths. King Benjamin said " when ye are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God."
Wonderful.
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