Apples of Gold

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I remember spending hours attempting to solve slide puzzles. My parents would give me puzzles depicting anything from numbers to a Bible verse as a gift. I didn’t realize at the time that they were likely attempting to keep me occupied!

 If you are over 40, you likely remember them. A slide puzzle looks simple at first. One piece of the puzzle is missing, allowing you to move pieces around the puzzle to complete the pattern. The simplicity of getting most of the pieces into the right spot stood in stark contrast to the complexity of getting the last couple pieces into the required position. 

Every piece that was already in the right place had to move into a place it didn’t belong in order to maneuver that last piece to the proper location. The almost completed puzzle became a chaotic mess with nothing where it actually belonged! If you were able to think ahead multiple steps you realized that moving a piece further from it’s destination was actually the path to eventually untangling the mess and returning it to its proper spot. 

Our lives can be strikingly similar to a slide puzzle. The picture is taking shape but we suddenly realize that a couple of critical pieces are barricaded into a corner and correcting their location will require ninja level skill. 

To the outside observer our lives can look shockingly simple. It might appear we are living the Life of Riley (Ask a Boomer). Often behind the confident facade and forced smile is a weary traveler, plodding on under an almost unbearable load. Their puzzle appeared to be nearing completion only to realize that last piece was going to be a doozy. 

We can be tempted to feel jealousy rather than compassion as we observe the shiny parts of the lives of those around us. The nice home, easy promotion, endless vacations, “perfect” family situation portrayed by their nearly completed puzzle often masks the reality that is far less tranquil. 

An unwavering reminder of our responsibility to care for each other is given to us by our Lord:

Jesus replied, You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. Matthew 27:37-40

While many followers of Jesus wholeheartedly embrace the command to love God with their whole heart, the “love your neighbor as yourself” part gets a bit stickier. Some neighbors are annoying. Some are mean and inconsiderate. Some seem to have it so much easier than we do. Yet we have Jesus clearly telling us that loving them is equally important to loving him. This can be hard to rectify and even harder to actually apply. 

This was important enough to Paul to reiterate:

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14

Self love is certainly not lacking in our culture. People who will commiserate with our woes and bolster our confidence in our right to feel angry or offended are numerous. Finding the friend who will tell us we could have handled things better, or even that we are actually the one in need of repentance, is a much more difficult task. 

Neighborly love is quite rare these days. Most of us don’t even know our physical neighbors. We operate on assumptions, often unfairly, as we cast aspersions on motives, means and Modus Operandi. 

We fail to grasp how crucial loving our neighbor as ourselves is to our spiritual well-being. Jesus put it on the same level of importance as loving God. This is a big deal that we often gloss over, dismissing our responsibility with relatively no consideration of the consequences. 

I want to do better in this area. Getting wrapped up in my own circumstances is my fleshly default. I dare to speculate that I am not alone in this. I also realize that it is not okay to ignore the needs of those around us:

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. Proverbs 21:13

This certainly applies to far more than money. A time of need might not be financial. Kindness and mercy come in many forms. The motive behind our actions is just as pivotal. Our motive must be driven by love.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

Let’s elevate the 2nd Command to it’s rightful place in our lives. Our trials are much easier to bear when we share the load with those around us. Responding with compassion in the difficult times is a scriptural requirement. May our lives reflect our love for God through our love for others. 

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2