Love Each Other

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remained in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one that this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."

John 15:9-17

It was that last line that hit me the most. So much of my focus has been on my character development and discipline that I was starting to lose touch with everything around me. I'm trying so hard to raise my own expectations and live up to my potential that it started coming at the expense of being compassionate. You expect so much of yourself that you start to get frustrated at constantly falling short. Becoming something great is and empty accomplishment if you lose your ability to love and care in the process. Fundamentally, every human being understands this concept but its bears repeating. Yes, hard work and integrity are incredibly important in this world, but I can't help but notice Jesus gave us only one command. "Love each Other."