Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale.
Allow your body to soften.
Let your shoulders lower,
Your jaw release and your heart make just a little more room than it had a moment ago.
Another slow inhale and a long patient exhale.
As we enter this space I invite you to settle into a posture of receiving.
Receiving breath,
Receiving presence,
Receiving the gentle invitation of God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
These words from Yeshua have echoed across the centuries,
Softly reshaping the world one heart at a time.
Let them echo in you now.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
When someone asked Yeshua,
Who is my neighbor?
Yeshua answered,
Everyone.
And then,
Especially those you least expect.
Everyone,
Especially those you least expect.
Breathe that in,
Let it settle,
Let it challenge you without scolding you.
Truth can be gentle and still transforming.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Some of us have twisted that into something else,
Something smaller,
Something harsher.
Sometimes we treat ourselves with suspicion and treat our neighbors the same.
Sometimes we forget that love was never meant to be rationed.
On the next inhale,
Soften the parts of you that have been taught to shrink your love.
On the exhale,
Release a little bit of that constriction.
Yeshua was once asked,
What's the greatest commandment?
And he answered,
Love God and love your neighbor.
And then,
When asked how to love God,
He answered with stories about caring for those around us,
Feeding the hungry,
Quenching the thirsty,
Sheltering the cold,
Seeing the unseen.
Breathe in the simplicity of that calling and breathe out the noise we've added to it.
In the end,
The two greatest commandments are love your neighbor and love your neighbor.
Love your neighbor and love your neighbor.
Let yourself smile.
Let the joy of compassion lighten you.
Yeshua said,
Love your neighbor as yourself.
So,
How do you love yourself?
When you're hungry,
You feed yourself.
When you're thirsty,
You give yourself a drink.
When you're cold,
You find warmth and shelter.
This simple tenderness is not selfish.
It's the standard Yeshua assumed.
The foundation from which all outward compassion flows.
As you breathe,
Offer yourself one small act of gentleness.
Maybe it's forgiveness.
Maybe rest.
Maybe just a kind thought toward your own beautiful,
Tired humanity.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Sometimes we try to shrink our circle just to make that statement easier.
We say,
Sure,
I'll love my neighbor,
Just fewer neighbors.
But love has never needed a border policy.
Love has never needed a border policy.
Take a deep breath and let your circle widen,
Even half an inch.
That's enough for now.
Let your circle widen.
Now,
Take a moment to notice the way you speak to yourself inside your mind.
If that voice feels sharp or demanding,
Imagine what it might sound like if it learned to speak the language of compassion.
From that softened voice within,
Whisper a blessing outward to your neighbors,
Both the easy ones and the ones who stretch you.
Love yourself,
And love your neighbor as yourself.
And sometimes we wonder,
But what if they don't love me back?
Yeshua responded to that as well,
Long before we asked the question.
His answer?
Love your enemies.
Love doesn't wait for the other person to go first.
Love is the one who starts it.
Let that empower you,
Not pressure you.
God never asks you to run faster than your tenderness can go.
But you were invited to begin.
And here is the quiet revolution we are always being invited into.
Love your neighbor.
Not storm the palace.
Not overthrow the empire.
Just love your neighbor.
Love your neighbor.
It sounds so small,
But it's never been small.
Empires have always feared the kind of love that refuses to draw lines around who counts.
Take one more deep,
Slow breath in.
Let it fill your chest.
Let it expand your compassion.
Let it anchor your courage.
And as you exhale,
Release whatever boundary love is ready to dissolve today.
Even one tiny wall,
Softened by grace,
Is a sacred victory.
As you rise from this moment,
May you love yourself with gentleness,
So you can love your neighbor with courage.
May compassion widen your circle.
May kindness soften your voice.
May mercy disrupt your habits.
And may the spirit of peace and loving kindness guide your feet toward those who least expect to be loved,
And maybe to those who most need it.
Thank you for meditating with me today,
My fellow hearkeners.
I look forward to guiding you again soon.
May grace and peace,
Light and love,
Be with you.
You
