"For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
Romans 13:9-10
I like the idea of working no ill to our neighbors... being careful not to harm others, even emotionally. It is a tough thing to accomplish though, for sure, and maybe we all need some help from God to learn to love better and be a little bit more sensitive to how we treat each other.
One thing that I find interesting with all of this is that having the first verse there seems to make it clear that one thing that the commandments are designed to do is to prevent us from harming each other. So it is also an interesting exercise to take a look at the things in that list and to acknoowledge how they harm other people. Sometimes we believe sin only harms ourselves, but I am not sure that is ever true. Our lives affect the world around us, and just as we can be great examples and help people find God, we can also be horrible examples and draw people away.
Today, let's think about how we are affecting the people around us, and work on doing no harm. Let's talk to God about how to let go of our sins and how to love people better, and work to be better tomorrow than we were today. :)
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