Love Your Neighbour...part II :: UPR

This is post is the second of a series. I posted 'Love Your Nieghbour: Naked', after remembering some insight I received at a Youth Assembly. But this post came about after a conversation where I was giving a friend advice. I write it to encourage, and to teach. In some way I write to voice my thoughts, into a structure which I can read back on.

So Love Your Neighbour has no conditions on it. In the two greatest commandments, Jesus simply puts it in those three words. Nothing added, no extra bits to make us feel more motivated. We are to do it because he says so.

Loving your neighbour. It's easy to do that with somebody you've never met. A person who you've never had contact with. But what about somebody you know?
How hard is it to do with somebody who has hurt you? Somebody who has insulted you? Somebody you feel negatively towards? Then it get's hard.

Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) is a theory in counselling, but used in Youth Work. It suggests that the Youth Worker should separate the deed from the young person.

[1]"Unconditional positive regard, a term coined by the humanist Carl Rogers, is blanket acceptance and support of a person regardless of what the person says or does. Rogers believes that unconditional positive regard is essential to healthy development. People who have not experienced it may come to see themselves in the negative ways that others have made them feel. By providing unconditional positive regard, humanist therapists seek to help their clients accept and take responsibility for themselves. Humanist psychologists believe that by showing the client unconditional positive regard and acceptance, the therapist is providing the best possible conditions for personal growth to the client."

So where does this theory fit in to loving a closer neighbour? Well, if we look at this attitude for one second... Separating the deed from the neighbour.

What does this look like? It looks like Jesus. What better example? Jesus, the purest, cleanest, most sinless being who was nailed to a cross for us. Our sin was the deed. We sinned against him, yet he separated this and loved us the same. He died there, so that we may have the right to be called Children of God.

Whenever a friend from the past talks behind your back, you separate this deed from the person and continue to love them. How much easier would it be to forgive them without the deed coming into play?

Just like we should love our neighbour without good conditions added, we should love our neighbour without bad conditions added.

Whenever we walk and live in an attitude where we love our neighbour without the need to have an incentive we can serve fully and in full satisfaction. In the same breath, whenever we walk and live in an attitude where we love our neighbour even though they've hurt us, we can love like Jesus did.

Without events, church outreach, new churches, new pastors, big worship bands and cash, if we love like this... unconditionally, faithfully, radically... how much change can we bring to the people around us, our families, and yes... our town.
In such a dark place, people need light. If love is God, God is Jesus, and Jesus is the radiant light... loving your neighbour can bring this light.

Jesus: "Love your
neighbour." Without fail.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconditional_positive_regard