“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 NASB)
The saying embossed on two coffee cups looked outright selfish to me. The multi-color words on the cups read, “More Self Love.” These two cups, sitting uninterrupted on the store shelve, were perfect for the décor where I pictured placing them in my house. But again, the message on the two cups seemed so selfish or seemed to endorse self-centeredness. Standing as frozen, suspended in time, I hesitated to touch them for a hot minute.
Did I buy them anyway? I sure did! Look now! They were on sale, marked down from $10 to $2.50. So, yes, I brought them and when I took them in the house, I immediately put them in their new home as they served a new purpose. The two cups still had the same message. “More Self Love.” I wondered, pondered if I had made a mistake and I questioned whether or not the display of the two cups would cause confusion in the minds of visitors who have heard me preach and teach about loving others. After starring at the two cups, standing at attention in their new assigned spot, surrounded by coordinating tabletop “friends,” I remembered what I used to tell youth at summer church camps when they got into contention, competing with each other, using as their weapons negative comments to put each other down. I would stop the conflict by providing them something to think about: “You are treating people like you want to be treated. Therefore, you are showing that you do not love yourself.” At least for a short time, my comment sunk in and produced some positive changes in the case of some of the youth. For these youth that are now adults, they remember my words and the effect has been long-lasting. I pray that others eventually got the meaning and adjusted, making changes to their behaviors over the years.
After my trip down memory lane, I could finally justify the message on the two cups and I reconciled it with the revered Law of Christ, “Treat people like you would want them to treat you” and the scripture below about loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself. You see, as is the case with most of us, we like to be loved. So, the two cups, serving their new purpose, will hopefully challenge all who see them sitting on the dining room table, to get better at loving themselves and therefore better at loving others in what they say in their interactions and do in their actions. Somebody who sees the two cups will be more Christ-like as they intermingle with others.
Now I felt better regarding the two cups and their embossed message. No longer did I just see them as just two cups perfect for the décor, but rather I saw them as two objects, perfect for starting Christian conversations about interactions with others. Two cups – that’s my story for this Wednesday morning, and I’m sticking to it! Make it your story too and share with somebody the meaning of the two cups! Be blessed!
“Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39 The Living Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King