Do you love me? Do you love people? Do you see these things as being connected? It is easy to say you love me. It is much harder to love your brother in manifested visible ways, but if you do this people will believe you when you say you love me. Even as John has spoken, how can a man love God whom he cannot see if he cannot love his brother whom he can see? Consider the people you admire most. Isn’t their love for people necessary and central to their admirable qualities? Is this separable from faith? In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me.

Do you seek the truth? Who could say no to this? Yet if you do you will face obstacles and opposition. For you live in a culture and age in which you are surrounded by those who would influence you by fear or anger or false promises. It takes more than a little intentional resolve to avoid such manipulation. You have to stand fast for your liberty, and also for the truth. You must overcome fear to go where the search leads you. You will not find the truth by casual examination, and you will be changed by the search.

Have you ever had the occasion to give someone correction, or approval? What is the most gracious way to go about this? Consider the Golden Rule and the way you would want it done unto you. Do you keep correction at the lowest level possible, preferably just involving you and the other person, and maintaining confidentiality? What about approval? If you are caught doing something right, don’t you want the recognition to go up the chain of command? Do you find more opportunities for correction or for approval?

Do you ask people how they are doing? Do they ask you? Do you give the expected answer of, ‘well’, or ‘okay’ or ‘fine’ whether you are or not because that is the expected answer? In some circles this is the expected answer whether it is true or not, and you know when you are in such company. But this keeps contact at a superficial level and prevents you from obtaining the comfort you need when you are going through difficult times. Have you ever asked this question of others without really wanting to know? Recalibrate your expectations.  It is okay not to be okay.