How to Love Your Neighbor

The following guest sermon was submitted by ULC Minister David Dolezal. All ULC Ministers are invited to contribute their own sermons for consideration/publication. To submit a sermon, please email it to sermons@ulc.org.

Imagine looking out over the ocean. In your mind’s eye you see that the surface of the vast ocean is covered with waves. On the surface, the waves appear to be separate and distinct from the ocean, but in reality, they are separate in name and form only. If you were able to closely inspect each wave, you would soon discover that every single wave has a form that is named wave, but each and every wave is composed of exactly the same water as the ocean. The top of the wave is composed of ocean water, the middle of each wave is composed of ocean water and the bottom of each wave is composed of ocean water.

In fact, the entire form called “wave” is merely a temporary extension of the ocean. And when the wave hits the shore, only the name and form of wave is destroyed as the water within the wave simply returns to itself; the vast and unchanging ocean. Despite the form of the wave coming into and out of existence, the ocean neither loses nor gains a drop of its water. The ocean remains the one true reality. 

It is like this with all of humanity. Like waves, all human beings appear as human beings in name and form, but their soul, their awareness is of the same vast and unchanging ocean, GOD. In that respect, all conscious beings can be seen as the infinite number of individual expressions or different aspects of GOD. 

Ocean waves take many different shapes appearing different from one another and travel in many different directions. If waves could think for themselves, one could imagine that the smaller waves might look up at the larger waves with jealousy. Or that the larger waves might look down on the smaller waves. One could imagine that the waves heading east might be angry at the waves that are heading in different directions. One could even imagine that most if not all of the waves would consider themselves very separate and distinct from all the other waves around them and that each of the waves might begin to make judgments about the other waves based primarily upon their preconceived notions about their different names and forms.

All of these imaginary scenarios could be because of the wave’s ignorance of their deeper connection to one another leading them to focus on the names and forms of one another rather, than focus on their actual common source. While they focus on wave, they are unable to see that they are all from one ocean. It is similar with Human beings. While human beings may have different names and physical forms, they all share the exact same spiritual ocean of awareness within them, expressed as their consciousness. 

When you look at the ones around you, you must use your intellect to remind yourself that your neighbors are also the children of GOD, expressions of GOD, just as you are. These human beings are not only your genetic relatives; they are connected to you spiritually. While they may be ignorant of their true nature right now focusing solely on wave, their souls exist with your soul within the same spiritual ocean and are deserving of the same love, compassion, respect and forgiveness as you. 

I have heard of some saying that they were born again in the spirit of the lord. Is it possible that they were expressing their new found ability to see this spiritual connection? If one were to look at another as a part of the ocean of awareness instead of a wave, they would not be focusing on, the color, height, height, weight, sex, nationality, religion or political affiliation of the other person. They would instead be focused on the realization that they are each a part the same thing; each a beautiful bucket full of the exact same ocean of awareness.  

When children are small, they make mistakes and have accidents all the time. It is easily understood that the children make mistakes and have accidents because of their lack of knowledge. Supportive parents overlook all of that and are able to see the beauty within them. Regardless of their children’s behavior, caring supportive parents give their children love, compassion, respect and forgiveness. They realize that their children are only making these mistakes and having these accidents because they are much too ignorant at the time to understand how to behave properly in the world around them.

Caring supportive parents know that all of their children’s mistakes and accidents are a normal part of their children’s development and these parents know their children will understand in the proper time. So rather than trying to judge their children, hurt them, condemn them, or ostracize them, caring supportive parents continually show endless love, compassion, and respect. They forgive their children and teach them the proper way after each misstep regardless of how challenging or exasperating it can be for the parents at times.  Caring supportive parents do not love their children because the children are always being good, caring supporting parents love their children because caring supportive parents understand that they possess the power and ability to share their love with others regardless of how others behave. 

It is the same with your neighbors. Those that are too ignorant to understand the truth of their nobility, the beauty of their true nature or their interconnectedness with their fellow human beings will sometimes act like children, believing like the waves that they are separate from one another. Like small children, they may judge one another, they might be cruel to one another, they might be envious of one another, they might hate one another and they may even hurt one another. 

There are some who falsely believe that some of these people are good and some of these people are bad. This is false because there is no such thing. Human beings are neither good nor bad. They are conscious beings that vacillate between good and bad behaviors depending on the moment, their ability or lack thereof and how they choose to manage a given situation. The ones that make a good decision due to their knowledge appear as good and the ones that make the wrong decision due to their ignorance appear as bad. But the so-called bad ones learn from their mistakes; correct the behavior in the next situation and then they appear as good.

You, like the parent, must see those who misbehave as the ignorant children that they are and show them love, compassion, respect and forgiveness, knowing that one day they will understand and their mistakes and accidents will have been a normal part of them growing up. 

It is easy to love your friends. It is easy to those who love you in return. It is easy to love those who agree with you and those who help you. Like the exasperated parent, it can be difficult to love everyone as you would want to be loved regardless of their behavior. But despite your neighbor’s conduct, you must intellectually remind yourself of their true nature, their connection to you and forgive them of their trespasses as you would want to be forgiven.  

To love your neighbor all the time you must sometimes use your intellect to look deeper than the names and forms in front of you, especially when they are misbehaving in your eyes. Look at them from the perspective of your true nature, visualize the “Ocean” within them and show them love, compassion, respect and forgiveness. If that approach feels too difficult in the moment, simply look at them and quietly tell yourself, “I do not love you because you are being good right now. I love you because I am.” Your kindness will bless them and allow them to see the beauty of your true nature.  It will also act as a mirror through which they will be able to clearly see their true nature.