Loving People

During my reflecting time the other day, I realized something significant to my perspective, life, walk with God, and how I treat others. Even though we are all not brothers and sisters of the same family, I am called to love people (love your neighbor). But how can I love everyone? How did Jesus do it? How did he view people? So I changed my perspective and thought of people belonging to one family, my family; and it has given me a better perspective of how to treat people with more love. This includes the guy who cut me off on the road this morning, or the girl customer at work who treats me inferiorly because she's rollin' in a newly-leased Beemer, or the homeless person outside 7-11 asking for money to buy dinner, or the person I can't communicate with because he speaks another language. I share two of the greatest things in common with all of these people: we are human and God loves everyone of us.

These past few days, I've been thinking how much we, as people, all have in common, and it's kind of boggling my mind. So here's what really got to me: If I think of everybody as brothers and sisters, part of the same family, then how much differently will I think of the people who steal from me! What a radical change of perspective.

So here's the "getter": If God loves everyone of us, (and I couldn't comprehend this), how much would it please Him that I love the same people too. How much would it please Him that I show the same people he loves, mercy? How much would it please Him that I show them forgiveness and grace instead of frustration? Is that what we were made to do? Would that make a difference? Would that show people Jesus? I hope so, because I hope to please God.