Live in Love.

One of the most simple things to do as a human is also one of the hardest; to love. I don't mean BE in love, although in today's society that's hard enough to do. To actually LIVE in love, and treat everyone you come into contact with, with compassion, mercy, and grace.

Essentially, this should be easy. Be a nice person, when you meet someone new be genuine, offer to let someone go ahead of you in line, don't hold grudges, forgive easily and often, and treat everyone as an equal. Loving SHOULD be human nature, but it's not. There are so many things that get in the way. First of all, when someone wrongs us, we stop treating them with the love we once did. When someone has different beliefs or lifestyle choices, we judge them. And instead of living life in a way that puts the wants and needs of others before our own, we cater to ourselves. This is human nature.

To live in love would mean to go against our very nature and live almost sacrificially. This means that when someone has wronged us, to forgive them even if they haven't asked for it, no matter how many times they wronged us. A lot of people will tell me, "Well Toni, you can't just let people walk all over you." and my response to them is "What do you think Jesus did? REALLY? (Turn the other cheek)" and when people ask me "So if someone committed a horrific crime against you and the people you love, you'd forgive them?" and my response to them again is still, "What do you think Jesus did? REALLY???" He whole life and purpose was love. When he was asked what someone has to do to get into heaven his response was simple "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself" Love, love, love. It wasn't "Well, make sure you hold people accountable for their actions. Make sure you follow the 10 commandments, and MOST OF ALL, DO NOT accept anyone who's choices, beliefs, or lifestyles are different than that of your own." which leads me to my next point...

There is a difference between acceptance and agreement. You can accept and love someone, even though you don't agree with the choices, lifestyle, beliefs etc. that they have. Christianity has gotten such a bad rap because many "Christians" have not been very good Christians at all. They have judged, persecuted, hated, even killed in the name of Jesus (the dark ages and the crusades), who's mission was the complete OPPOSITE of that. He was the embodiment of love. Have we forgotten that?

My biggest aspiration's for my daughter, and what I pray over her every single night is that she is a fountain of love. I want her to treat everyone with compassion, and accept them no matter what. That is what is important to me. It's also my prayer most often, and it will continue to be until I'm no longer here. Everyday I need to be shown how to love instead of judge, to forgive someone over, and over, and over again, to treat strangers with tenderness instead of aggression, and most importantly, to stop getting road rage every time someone cuts me off.

..HA HA okay that last one might be not be the MOST important, but man do I ever get pissed off when someone cuts me off.

Until my next post, Cheers.