Scripture references: Mark
12:30-31
: Matthew
7:12
When I was younger my mother taught me a simple statement:
W.W.J.D (What Would Jesus Do). Every time something happened, when am about to
react she would call out the phrase: “Florence! WWJD!” Trust me even if I was
about to do the meanest thing to either my brother or sister I would drop it immediately.
The phrase if implemented by most of us would make the world more like Jesus like.
Today’s topic is treating people nicely. Well the WWJD sort
of relates to this one. So on this particular day I started telling my mum
about a friend of mine. About a month or so from this particular day I asked
for a favour. I begged and begged this friend to help me out on this one (particularly
it was helping out my other girlfriend, I was just her spokesperson). But this
my friend said no (and I don’t take no’s very nicely). So I gave up, moved on
and requested the favour from another person. I had almost forgotten about the
incident when this friend of mine appeared, asking for a favour form me. Haha!
I was like payback time baby! Payback time.
So on this particular day I needed my mum to scream “Florence!
WWJD!” I was telling her: “Mum imagine so and so asked me to do A,B,C for them
. And you remember how my small favour asked was met with a capital NO. Oh am
so going to say no. exactly the way s/he said it to me..” you should have seen
the enthusiasm and excitement I had when I said this statement. My idea was I got
to teach this guy a lesson neh? That if you go around asking people for favours
you should be able to do some favours for them.
My mom took sometime reminding me of W.W.J.D,of being nice
to people at all cost because I may never know when our paths may cross again.
I may never know when I may need a huge favour from them too. Above all she
said: “If Jesus was the one asking the favour …”
Yhoo!! I thought of how I would stop everything else just to
do this favour for Jesus. At the same time I thought I love Jesus. I truly
do..but my love for this particular friend of mine was questionable. I sort of
had grievances over the favour issue I was denied. I can’t say I hated them but
I just had some resentment and I wasn’t ready to do the favour this time
around. My mums lecture had helped a bit. So I began to think maybe I should do
it, despite me being the only one who gives the favours when my favours are
denied.
Coincidentally, the bible study that day was on Mark
12:28-34. Where Jesus talks about the fundamental cornerstone. LOVE. He talks
about our love for God and then for our neighbors. Our neighbors are the people
we live with, our friends, our families. Jesus Calls us to love them.
There are no conditions for loving people. Whether they do
favours for us or not. Even if they love
us back or not. He just says “love your neighbor”. During our discussion we
learnt that to love means to forgive peoples mistakes, not to hold their
mistakes against them forever. So here I was trying to fight resentment towards
this person. In doing this I did not love them and trying to get back at them
was in no way love.
So yes the Bible says do unto others you
would want them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).Love others if you want love. Treat
others well as you would want others to treat you. Do small favours for friends
if you want them to do small favours for you (hahaha! Not personal though).
But from my small classes through the day, I have learnt:
Treat others well at all cost. All in summary as the lord put it: Love your
neighbor! If you do love your neighbor, you will be nice to them at all cost.
I pray that you will find strength to love your neighbor, when
they love you back and when they don’t. I pray that your love for your
neighbors will be without conditions. That you will not hold their mistakes
against them forever. That simply you will do the commandment as it says: Love your
neighbor.
Prayer: Dear Lord! Teach us to love without conditions. Help
us to treat our neighbors well. In Jesus name…