Love Your Neighbor

We have been told to "Love your Neighbor, as yourself."  I ask you, "Who is your neighbor?"  Is it the lady next door or the person who stole your wallet last week?  That is an extreme example but one that you have to take into consideration.  It's not just the little things we need to forgive but even the bigger ones.

The real answer is both.  Yes, your neighbor is everyone with whom you come in contact.  Over the years, I've learned that fighting doesn't solve anything when it comes to personal situations.  Your inner being has to let it go and learn to live on with the people around you.

Don't get me wrong.  That doesn't mean you have to be best friends with that someone who has wronged you but you do need to forgive and forget.  I've heard people say, "I'll forgive them but I'll never forget they did that to me."  In the end this leads to a festering sore inside that makes people bitter in their dealings with not only that person who wronged them but with everyone around them.

It's time for us to take a look into what is festering in our mind and whom we are having problems letting go of wronged feelings.  It's time to make a conscious effort to letting go.  You don't have to physically encounter them in order to do this.  What you need to do is make an effort to not dwell on what happened but take it to the high ground and look for what good you can do by letting go of the emotions that are holding you back from forgetting.

I've had many upsets in my life and one of them was one that I had to rid myself from all contact with a person.  Over the years, I let the bitterness set in and avoided them at all costs.  I've learned that because of other circumstances, I'm only hurting other people involved and have come to a position in life where I can speak with them without the rankling and enjoy the company of others in their company.  This is loving your neighbor as yourself in it's fulfillment and I thank God for that realization and with his mercy having come to this point.