What A Concept!

Last weekend, you may remember, I was away on retreat.  This wasn't the first time I've been part of the team planning a similar event, and each time I do I learn and receive as much as I give.

When I returned home on Sunday I pulled out a slim book called Coming Down the Mountain: How to Turn Your Retreat Into Everyday Living that was gifted to me when I participated in the event as a retreatant. The book has six weeks worth of daily meditations and suggestions for incorporating what you learned on the retreat into your daily life.

Each day's meditations are thought provoking, but yesterday's provided me a real 'ah-ha' moment. Have you ever read through something multiple times with no effect, and then all of a sudden a thought jumps off of the page at you? That's what happened to me. In the section entitled "Difficult People" I was struck by a discussion about the difference between "like" and "love".

According to the book, liking someone means that you have positive feelings about them. Loving someone means helping them, not wanting to cause harm to them, and even sending prayer their way. We can love someone without liking them.

So that means I can love the jerk who cut in front of me today with a full cart of groceries to be first at a newly-opened check out line. I can love the people who spout political views I don't agree with on social media. I can even love the people who carry out horrible deeds.

I'd like to say that my loving is automatic, but it's not. It's a really hard thing for me to do. I'll keep working at it, though.

Five years ago today: Good Friday Is The Blues