Who is my neighbor? The person who lives on my street right? Wrong. Your neighbor is everyone who lives and breath. The homeless man that sits at that store, that random woman walking her dog, the president of the United States of America, the person that annoys you like crazy, ect. Everyone is your neighbor.
But I don't HAVE to love Everyone right? Wrong again. Leviticus 19:18 says, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." So... Yes.... Love everyone.
Back to Romans 13:10. If you love everyone (Like you've been commanded to do), then you should be incapable of hurting others. We know that love does not hurt people, because Christ's love has never hurt anyone. It has only ever benefited and drawn us closer. So we should be very careful to have the love like Christ has. We should be wary of hurting anyone.
How is it possible to not hurt someone? Well, I'm not sure that it is possible to NOT hurt someone. You will hurt someone somehow, sometime, and you honestly cannot help that. It could be that you're wearing a shirt that someone saved up for and never got to get because you bought the last one. It could be something small like that, but you have hurt that person. Not intentionally (hopefully), but you have just hurt them. It is inevitable. But, when you love someone, and show that person love with your actions and words, it should not hurt them. We should be able to help not hurting others with our words and actions in most situations.
Romans 12:18 - "Do your best to live in peace with everyone." Also in Matthew 7:12 it says, "In everything therefore, treat everyone the same way you want to be treated." Everyone wants to be treated with love and compassion. You want to be treated like that, so treat others with the same measure you expect to receive. Love like 1 Corinthians 13:3 says to: "Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done."
Pray for the strength to love those you cannot on your own. The Lord will help you. He will empower the willing. And the willing are those who choose to pick up their cross daily and RUN after Christ. This is not a Christian walk, it is a Christian sprint for God's love and to be like him more. So do what you can to help others, not hurt them. Love is hard, but it is necessary to stay in God's love.
~Whatsoever Things Are True
Philippians 4:8
