I've got a day off today. And even more surprisingly, I'm not trying to cram my non-working day with hundreds of little jobs so I can put off the most vital part of a non-working day. To sit and rest. Push that off button and reset myself.
I did a lot of those silly little jobs yesterday. Today is a sitting and blogging day. Tomorrow looks like it'll be another running around day. Oh well...
However, today is for blogging. Serious blogging. Spending an hour or two to put my thoughts down onto a computer screen.
And, as I like to do when I blog, I take stock of where I am personally. Not just to upload the odd graphic, to keep the feed running. Something a lot deeper.
I've done a lot of deconstructing recently. And stocktaking. Instead of mourning the activities I had to give up after lockdown, I've been re-prioritising. Adding certain things back into my calendar, keeping other things out. Stripping my life back to basics.
And those basics, spiritually, I've got down to two things. Two Most Important Things.
The two most important things Jesus asked us to do was
- to love God and
- to love people.
It sounds so simple, because it is - but it’s actually very difficult.
Point 1 is Loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind. This means letting go of my way of doing things. In many ways it has meant re-reading familiar readings and asking myself if I have truly understood what is being said. And in many cases it has meant asking Jesus for a fresh understanding of His teaching.
Point 2 is Loving people - which means loving them exactly as they are. It’s particularly easy to love lovely people. God asks us to love all kinds of people. Which means I have to constantly check my motivations, my thoughts, my words.
36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’
Matthew 22:36-40, New International Version - UK
