Love Thy Neighbour

Love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus states this as His commandment to us several times. I am trying very hard. It looks so simple and yet it's such a difficult thing to do.

Love Thy Neighbour
Whenever I bump into this person, I make an extra effort to say 'Hi' to this person all the time. She is a person I know, whom several others avoid because of her idiosyncracies. I would say it's quite effortless for her to be downright rude. Our interaction can be just for 10 seconds but it is enough for me to walk away feeling like something-wasn't-right-about-that-conversation. I often walk away wondering why I even bother to greet her. She only ever greets my husband. She calls him by name but never acknowledges me. She sees past me even if I am near. Her words are made to command, overrule, overpower people. She speaks but does not listen. She has that effect on people. My husband wonders why I even bother to speak to her if she makes me feel that way all the time. I said, 'Jesus said to love thy neighbour, mah! So I'm trying, lor!'. She is a fellow Christian that makes it doubly hard for me to let go. But each time I hear her go into her high and mighty talking-down-to-you, holier-than-thou speeches, I cringe, bite my tongue and urge myself to not react. That's only in 10 seconds of interaction, like I said. Imagine 10 minutes.

The last time was just a few nights ago. When she passed a sentence I thought was downright non-purposeful and which I knew was a knee-jerk reaction to her insecurities, I just smiled at her and walked away.

Annoying Mossies Buzzing Round Your Ear
That was coming from a stranger. I do have some people in my life who are constantly 'annoying' this way. Their need to command and control stem from their insecurities but their insecurities flow into my comfort zone. Their need to boast --- bluek! Need I say more? Most of the time, I control myself and I react inside but don't show it on the outside. I've been told I'm a coward and let so-and-so walk all over me etc. But I'm happy with myself. I've grown enough to know not to be drawn into a battle with an insecure person. You will never emerge the winner because it is effortless for them to find fault with you. Instead, you will emerge angry and disturbed. Whatever for? I have better things to do (like nurturing my own growth journey with God).

What I Really Feel Like Doing
But really sometimes, I just wanna give them a BIG THWACK on the head and yell in their ears that their constant beating around the bush to draw out information (without going to the point) is a BIG ANNOYANCE and that HELLOOOOO...... people can see through their constant lying smiles and faces but are only PRETENDING to not bite their bait BECAUSE. JUST BECAUSE. If Jesus hadn't commanded us to love one another as He had loved us, then it would probably be free-for-all, including myself. I'd climb up the backs of these idiots and pull their hairs off the tops of their heads. So there. I'm pretty violent in my mind, huh? Alot more work needs to be done. Ahem. Well, once one can dream, right?

What I Do Instead
Meanwhile, I let manipulative you, think I'm an idiot who doesn't know better. So be it. God knows that the only opinion I should be worrying about is His. I think I've grown enough spiritually at least to know this.

Phew, Love Thy Neighbour is a toughie.