Loving Others: Practically Impractical in So Many Ways #4
a greatest commandment tangent
Welcome to our series on loving others: Practically Impractical in So Many Ways, notes to myself as I take steps (the faith and hope-filled, clumsy and imperfect kind) in loving others in practical (and impractical) ways.
Learn how to change a tire.
If you already know how to change a tire, then learn something that you can offer to lend a hand to help those you come across.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to do this, but full disclosure: mostly entirely as a means to help myself. Even if the opportunity to change my own tire never presented itself, achieving the goal of knowing how to do this would be its own reward.
I try to avoid generalizing whenever possible, but I can safely say that I’ve never considered learning how to change a tire so I can help others. Ever. In fact, helping others isn’t really what drives me when I’m on a quest for any knowledge. Empowering myself is what propels me forward. If it benefits someone else, well that’s just icing on the cake.
Is this an exclusively either/or scenario, though? These challenges are about loving others in practical (and impractical) ways. Could there be at least a little room for myself when loving others? Should there be?
According to Jesus, yes.
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31 NET
Also known as The Greatest Commandment. Most of the references to these verses involve some variation of “love God and your neighbor” to summarize what our greatest mission as Christ-followers should be. “Love God and love people” is my personal favorite.
But that’s not what Jesus said.
Why do we avoid including the loving ourselves part? Why do we go through such pains to ignore something that’s quite literally part of the greatest thing we’re supposed to do with our lives?
Maybe we’ve learned that loving ourselves is selfish or prideful. We’re conditioned to believe that this whole self-love thing is just a given because we’re naturally prone to sin and selfishness, so it shouldn’t even be a consideration.
But being selfish isn’t loving ourselves in a good way. It’s love in a way the literal definition of love never intended, and certainly doesn’t set as an example for us to follow.
So if I’m being asked commanded to love others as I love myself, then loving myself has to be part of the deal. If I believe that God made me, that God is good and what he makes is good (“very good” according to Genesis 1), and I’m called to love God and all that he’s made, then that includes loving the me he made.
Can loving myself be worship?
Please don’t hear what I’m not saying, so bear with me while I try to flesh these in-process thoughts a bit.
“I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” Psalm 139:14
“All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.” John 1:3
“Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11
(scripture references are from the CSB)
The Grand Canyon, that waterfall I stood at the foot of in South Carolina a few years ago, the breathtaking color palette of a sunrise, the way that goose from Mom’s yard takes food from my hand, the loyalty and love in my dog’s eyes. Just a few components of creation that inspire my awe and reverence for the Creator.
I, too, am part of this awe-inspiring creation. Remarkable, wondrous. Worthy of love, and maybe even a little extra. Because unlike that waterfall or sunrise or anything else that’s been made, I was knit together in the very image of God.
Leads me to love every single time I actually take the time to think about it.
That love leads to gratitude for what’s been made and given, which leads to reverence and adoration for the One who made and gave. Love for God, which leads to love for myself, which leads to loving others as I love myself.
So maybe no more ignoring or avoiding a very good part of God’s creation.
Maybe I can try to take the focus off of myself without ignoring myself. I can learn how to change a tire because I love to learn (nope, hadn’t forgotten about that).
Maybe a love for empowering myself with knowledge can still move me forward and towards God and others in love.
Maybe loving myself can be worship.
Until next time,
Becky
a few more words…
“Your Creator is worth getting to know, and you will never reach the bottom of that well.”
in her most recent Dear Hildegaard letter:The God Who Made You
Simply beautiful! I really enjoyed reading this!