Are you a Christian? If so, consider the depth of Jesus Christ’s expectation of his followers in his words
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12,13)
Whoa…this is a very heavy duty command–to lay down your life for your friends.
I’ve been asking myself, “What does it mean to lay down my life for my friends? Am I willing to do that? Do I even grasp what it means?”
Often love is thought of on the level of being kind to others, courteous, thoughtful, considerate, affectionate and caring. Experience teaches us it is much more. It requires patience, lots of it, forgiveness, giving, joy, peace, and unselfishness, utter unselfishness.
Love is more than a human act or forthcoming of the human mind. It’s a whole way of life that says to the world, “I already have everything I need coming from God, and I have so much bounty coming from God that I can give my earthly all for your benefit.”
Jesus gave his earthly all for the benefit of his friends and neighbors. He didn’t hold onto anything, not a single worldly thing, claim or want. He demonstrated utter unselfishness, and he told his followers to do likewise.
In thinking further on the demands of laying down my life for my friends, I could see that it wasn’t an act of suicide he was talking about. To “lay down your life” was not a physical act, but a spiritual yielding.
It means to lay down your material wants and desires, to give up all worldly ideals to seek spiritual ideals, spiritual goals, and spiritual realities that exist in divine Love. This is what Jesus did. He gave up love of the world for love of God, love of life in Spirit.
To “lay down your life for your friends,” means to not get into arguments with friends, to not maneuver to get the upper hand. It means to be the first to forgive, the first to break any logjam of resentment, building angst or anger. It means to let them have the last cookie on the plate, to have the right-of-way on the highway, to speak first, to take the head of the line, to get the credit. It doesn’t mean to be taken advantage of, but it does mean to not take advantage of them. It means to be so clear that your being is so fully sustained by divine Love through spiritual resources, power, ways and means, that there isn’t anything in this world you want or need to get from your neighbor. They can have it. You already have what you need, and you don’t need anything more. You have it all in God, and that is more than enough. It couldn’t get any better.
To lay down your life for your friends means a lot of things, more than I can list here.
What does it mean for you?
Well, lately, for me it has meant not taking on a false sense of responsibility for their mistakes and trusting them to the same God, good I trust for myself. It also has helped to quell those pesky false expectations we often throw on each other and allows us to more freely express good with each other. It’s laying down the “I wants” for the “I see you and love you for who you really are”.
It is a constant opportunity though. 🙂
Hmmm….I’ll have to think more deeply about this…
For me it means everything you have said. I could say, I can’t do it. Instead, I will say, I will keep trying. I wish it wasn’t so hard. It really doesn’t seem possible to do. But, like I said, I will stick with it for a while longer, and then even longer.
Laying down your life for your friends (or family), to me, means laying aside all of YOUR wants for another’s needs. Being unselfish, kind and loving. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Mary Baker Eddy said it so wonderfully on page 518 of Science and Health, “The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good.”
I love this! It is wonderful to acknowledge our own wholeness and completeness and to know that same abundance belongs to all. I love sharing what I have; sometimes it is material things, many times it is a thought or understanding of something someone else needs a little help with. Lately, I have perceived my own need to see man more fully as God’s image and likeness, which certainly does require ‘standing porter at the door of thought’ but is so worthwhile. I agree with the comments, too, about false responsibilty and listening to God’s guidance to know how best to help others. Praying daily to be more merciful, just, and pure!
Dear Evan,
Thank you so much for sharing these very healing ideas that are making a huge difference for good in my life starting right now! I am so inspired to be much, much more unselfish in my thinking and daily living, knowing that God is the source of all good for everyone, and that neither I nor others can be missing out on any needful supply or opportunity.
You are welcome! Thanks all for sharing. Your comments round out a blog’s message and make it even more complete and helpful to all readers. This is fun!
For me this is about recognising when the little ‘me’ is the one dominating thought – clamouring for attention, reassurance and never staisfied. I’m learning how this obstructs the expression and light of TRUE love that makes us as trasparency for the divine and enables us to see His likeness in all.
This post and comments are most helpful! I came to them feeling abused in an effort to offer love and help to a family member. Now, full of fresh ways to demonstrate my (our) atonement with Love, the feelings of being agrieved–se fue! “Yea though I walk through the valley of the [ghastly farce], I will feel no evil, for Thou art with me.”
The idea of not taking on a false sense of responsibility, but instead knowing that Principle, redolent with Love, is not mocked and the idea of not listening to the little “me” are right on!
Thank you~
Thanks so much for these thoughts on loving others. I’ve needed this recently. I’m seeing that I can’t pick and choose whom I wish to love. It is usually those who are the most difficult to love that need it the most. I find that I need to stand up for the “underdog” when he/she is mistreated by others. What I am learning is that there truly is no “underdog,” and no bully either. Knowing everyone as the “gentle beam of living love” (Mrs. Eddy, “Christmas Morn”) is helping to keep my vision clear and my heart pure. Thanks again