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Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus seems to make Christianity seem very easy – just two things.
I will not forget a visit with a seventh-grade girl during my time at McCurdy. Her body language and what she said made it very clear to me: This child of God does not love herself. And then in my career as a pastor, I met so many people that did not love themselves.
It became clear to me that when the Church gets it right, its main mission is to help people connect with God and to know that God is not out to get you and rub it in when you mess up. NO! The Spiritual Disciplines are not just to love God. When you do develop a healthy relationship with God, you learn to love yourself.
And then, and only then, can a person see others as people of sacred worth and love and help them, listen to them, etc. I often think of this seventh-grade student. I hope and pray that she found a way to love God AND herself.
I think of all the good people that are volunteering to help at McCurdy. I think of all the teachers and staff at McCurdy that have helped and continue to help in this “simple” two-part mission statement from Jesus and know that their first step was to love God so that they could love themselves.
It is not rocket science, folks. Discover that God loves you and then love yourself and reach out to others. However, sadly, it is not easy for many because children hear the message from parents, society, peers, and at times the Church: “You are not good enough.” Yes, in my career I have often failed, but the message always came back to me, “Yes, David, you did fail, but YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!”
Would you join me in praying for all the precious Children of God who continue to think that they are not worthy, not good enough. This is our mission as Christians to reach out and love our neighbors whenever they cross our path.
David Okerberg
McCurdy Foundation Board Member
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