john's example

The entire law is summed up in a single command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14

the other day i got caught up in telling a pal about some one else’s remarkably shitty behavior. her response resonated. she said: there is one gift we all have in this world that no one can take away from us, and that’s how we treat others. every person has the right, the ability to treat others well. people can be stripped of their money, health, loved ones. but they always have control over how they react to life’s challenges.

being the high-brow gal that i am, i was watching the E! True Hollywood Story on jennifer anniston later that morning. in describing what kind of person jennifer is, marlow thomas said: “there are two kinds of people in this world. the givers and the takers. the givers sleep better at night.”

my goal is to treat others well and to be a giver. that’s what john was like and he didn’t make a show out of it. it was just him, how he lived. he did not sit in judgment of others and didn’t fester about what jerks other people had been. he chose forgiveness and was focused on living good.