We commonly think of neighbors as the people who
live near us, but Jesus meant it to include all humankind – even our enemies.
Jesus told his famous parable of the Good Samaritan to make it clear that “love
your neighbor” means to love all persons, everywhere – not just our friends and
allies.
Jesus calls us to remember that we all are Gods
children, just as He loves all his people and is willing to forgive their sins;
we must be willing to forgive others who have done wrong to us.
Anger can consume us with hatred and block out
the love of God. The need to forgive is not some ideal that we cannot hope to
attain. Forgiveness is necessary to free us from the dark cloud of anger and
resentment that can literally destroy our own lives. We cannot afford to wait for
the other person to repent and apologize. Unless we let go of our anger and the
desire to punish or get even, love cannot enter our lives. If you desire to be
loved, you need to give love, if you desire to be respected, you must give
respect. If you want to be fulfilled in your life, we must share with others.
If we do not desire to be judged harshly, then we
must not judge others so harshly.
