Each person eventually comes up against the cutting edge of adversity. I recently read these provoking words: “The problems of living are always centered on reconciling opposites.” Problems surface as a result of personality clashes or differences in experiences, values, or opinions.
Reinhold Niebuhr presents this truth: “The real problem…lies in the fact that we ought to love one another, but we do not.” Loving one another demands that we look deep into ourselves and to the Lord God to find solutions to problems each person can appreciate and accept.
Problems unaddressed are like a splinter broken off under the skin. The constant throbbing torments the body, mind, and spirit. Perhaps it’s time to ask the Lord Jesus Christ, “What do I need to address within myself that prevents me from loving others?” Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, ‘Love one another as much as I have loved you.’” Being closer to God requires submitting to Jesus’ command.
__________
But it really is a new commandment, and you know its
true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the
true light already shining. If we claim to be
in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love
others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them.
~1 John 2:8-10 Contemporary English Version
The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens; he
rescues them, from all their troubles.
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