Day 13--Give and Take

36 'Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

38 Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.'

LUKE 6:36-38

Don't you just want to be like:

'Dear God,

please stop asking for things that are so hard to do.

Okay, bye.'

I get it... be compassionate, do not judge, give... too.. much... work...

But the thing is--why should we expect compassion, or a fair judgment, or to receive things from God? Do we deserve any of that? NO.  Yet He still does all these things for us. But there's the condition, per usual: do unto others as you would have it do unto you.  If you are judgmental, of course God is going to hold you to a stricter standard (because being judgmental implies we think ourselves better/smarter/holier than others), and if you are compassionate, of course God is going to be like "aawwww, this one has a good, loving heart, let's give her/him a break!"

You know, a few years back I found an old journal that I kept in high school and read a few pages. I was so appalled--- my writing reflected how judgmental and self-righteous I was! Reading that made me feel so ugly, it was sickening! Because being judgmental means lacking love. And a person who lacks love is an unhappy person. I don't want to be that person, do you?

And you know the thing about giving---it might hurt at first, but the joy that it begets makes up for any loss. Like St. Francis of Assisi says, 'it is in giving that we receive'. That's what Jesus is saying in the gospel! 

So don't be afraid to love until it hurts--but truly love, not in a romantic type of way, but in the way of The Passion: to give yourself entirely to others. Don't be afraid to give--He will reward you a hundred-fold!!