I know I frequently want to do the right thing, but in reality, I also frequently fall short of the mark. The greatest commandment asks us to love God with all our hearts and all our minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Those two parts come intertwined for some reason: loving God and loving our neighbor. Privately, I want to be the ideal, good person I see inside my mind's eye, yet I struggle with the complications and difficulties of this clashing world and with the complexities and brokenness of our fellow mortal souls (their crabbiness, stubbornness, and listlessness). In a tricky situation or when dealing with difficult people, sometimes the way forward seems clear in the abstract; I know the path of generosity of spirit I ought to take. But, that path can get obscured and be nearly lost amid the brambles and weeds in the forest of real life's troubles.

Scripture promises, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." [Philippians 4:13] You see, faith in Christ enters into our hearts and minds, then our love of Him transforms us.  Christ comes into us and fills us when we invite Him in. He buoys us up inside ourselves. He lifts and lightens us so that we may rise to the occasion. With His help, we can diffuse a tense situation, soothe a grieving heart, envelop the fearful with love, or make a wise and prudent decision. Christ enlarges us. His Holy Spirit expands our capacity for compassion, discernment, patience, strength, and love. With His presence, we can do more for those souls God has placed in our circle of influence than we could on our own. The theologian, Henry Nouwen says, "Let us claim the truth that we are loved and open our hearts to receive God's overflowing love poured out for us. And living each day, let us share that love in all our wonderful and difficult relationships, responsibilities, and passages." This is how we love our neighbors as ourselves: by loving Christ first, by turning our broken wills over to Him to not only be mended, but also strengthened. By asking for the Holy Sprint to "strengthen us in all goodness," then acting with Christ in our lives, we can move closer to our ideal selves. We please God into the bargain by accepting His gifts (of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, increased capacity, and love). Thus we move closer to Him as we make use of His gifts.