Re: [TruthTalk] Love your neigbor as yourself

[Wm. Taylor]

Izzy wrote: I agree with you that I do not ascribe �unsurpassable worth� to gross sinners.  What are the scriptural commands to do that, I wonder?   Izzy,   I don't know what Jonathan would say in response to your question, but if you don't mind, I'll offer a thought or two.   Why not start with Jesus' commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"? We hear this one all the time, but how many times have we asked ourselves what it really means? I would like to suggest that we ascribe unsurpassable worth to ourselves all the time, and not only that but we do it in a way that is appropriate when directed toward those around us. The question is, how does self-love manifest, and what would it look like if we loved our neighbor in this way?   The first thing that I think of is the way that I always find a way to live with myself. When it comes to me, there always seems to be a 'next time.' No matter what I do, I always find a way to 'get over it,' to get on with getting along with myself. Think about it, I think you do too. When I judge myself (and believe me, I am my own worst critic), the sentence is light; although I always deserve to 'pay for it,' I am merciful instead. And so I find it within myself to say, Well, it's not the end of the world; I can get through this one, too. And then I go about the conciliatory act to ease the tension. No matter what it is, and this is the point, I always seem to find a way to forgive myself. I am sooo forgiving, in fact! I may still be upset when I think about it (and the truth is, I've done lots of things that I will never feel good about), but I find enough forgiveness in my heart to say, It doesn't have to end here; I can go on. That, it seems to me, is unsurpassable love. Is it not?   I am not always as good as I should be at ascribing this kind of worth to my neighbors, some of whom are gross sinners, but I am much better now than I was before actually defining what it meant to love myself. Now that I have begun to do that (it seems to be inexhaustible), I think much about what it would look like if we were all to extend the same kind of love to those around us. We would not be perfect (I've loved myself for a long while, but I still mess up from time to time), but we would be merciful; we would be forgiving; we would be considerate; we would be kind. No matter what the trespass, we would be willing to 'work it out,' no matter what the cost: We would have to, because the alternative would be to horrible a loss -- the thought of killing another person, any other person, even a gross sinner, why that would be tantamount to suicide. Ask me: I know!   It might do us all some good to go ahead and post some of the ways we love ourselves. Then maybe we could make a deliberate effort to ascribe that same -- dare I say -- unsurpassable worth to each other. How about it, Izzy? I see you are very good at getting along with yourself. Tell me: How do you do it?   Bill   ----- Original Message ----- From: ShieldsFamily To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 7:14 AM Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Interesting Article Dear Jonathan,   I agree with you that I do not ascribe �unsurpassable worth� to gross sinners.  What are the scriptural commands to do that, I wonder? Perhaps I should.  I�m really not sure about that.  How can I even consider the possibility if you are not here to champion it?  I suggest that you just take a week�s rest and give yourself an emotional break from all of us fomenting Right Wingers.  Then come back and help us further our understanding. But let�s steer clear of politics while doing it.    PS to everyone; when I ask a question in a TT post, please assume that I really want an answer.  I often get frustrated when I respond to a post (from anyone) with a sincere question, and they seem to think I�m just making a rhetorical snide remark.  Please assume that I am REALLY trying to hear what you mean.  Sometimes I think my writing style is too forceful, as I am not skillful enough with words to be diplomatic; I just throw it out there and it may seem more emotional than I am intending.    Love and hugs from your friend, Izzy From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jonathan Hughes Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 6:57 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Interesting Article   Hi Izzy,   It is not politics that upsets me; it is the frame of the conversation when something like politics is being covered.  It is when we (including me) place ourselves above others in our judgments and do not ascribe unsurpassable worth to those we are critiquing.  My reason for taking a break is that I feel the forum feeds on judgment, that most of our posts come out of us attempting to meet a need in ourselves using judgment instead of love.  I believe that I am one of, if not the biggest offender in this matter.  I need to figure out how to have an opinion, to be able to critique others in love, with the love of Christ.  Even in my �good-bye� post, while containing a lot of good had some judging parting shots.  I feel that my time here has been very beneficial but it has also exposed a large side of me that needs to be penetrated by who Christ is.  It is time for me to stop being all talk and to move a lot of head knowledge to my heart.  My reason for withdrawal is to allow some time for this to happen, to pray and meditate.   Jonathan