How do I love others?

Jesus taught, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34)  He did not lay any conditions on this.  He did not say, "Only love your friends."  He said EVERYONE!  I don't know about all of you, but this is something I have a very hard time doing.

What has helped me do better at loving others is first understanding what love it.  There are different types of love.  You can love a husband or wife, a child, a sports team, or a particular food.  Not all of these things inspire the same kind of love.  When I say I love stroganoff, I am saying I enjoy that food a lot.  I would choose to eat it more frequently than any other food.

I believe that love is a feeling of attachment.  My brother loves to watch the Utah Jazz, and he follows them and supports them.  That is the kind of love some have for a sports team.  Loving a person is another feeling entirely.  When you say you love someone, you are saying that you are comfortable with your relationship, that you accept them for who they are.

Love is not something we can place conditions on.  Just like Jesus did not say that you only need to love some people, we cannot say, "I will only give you my love if you please me, if you clean the house for me," or whatever you want them to do or be.  You either love someone or you do not.  It is  that simple.

Love is something I think this world needs more of.  The world has conditioned people to believe in the survival of the fittest; that there has always been and always will be a winner and a loser.  Billions of dollars are spent each year on teams, games and other media that reinforces this view.  That is a tragic view of the world.

One reason I think the world needs more love is because love has the power to soften hearts.  Every day the news has stories of men and women who choose to do drugs, who break the law and hurt others.  They do not think that what they do will affect others but it does.  If someone has said, "Hi!  How are you today?" to some of these men and women I believe that they would not do the things they do.  All a lot of people need is to know someone cares about them as a human being.

I do not believe that we need to feel a strong attachment to everyone in order to follow this commandment.  We need to be friendly and help when we can.  If someone is in need, help them the way you would want to be helped.  I will often serve someone to show them I care.  And in the case of strangers, I would say that caring about them is the same as loving them.  We need to love those who are close to us, but also the other people who are around us every day.

Here are simple, yet achievable things we can do every single day that will help make a better world.  If we all do our part we can make a big difference.

1.  Say hi to a stranger.  Ask how they are doing.  You could be at work and ask a customer how their day is going.  Or you could ask a co-worker that you done know yet.  Ask a question about their life; don't be a busybody and pry, but something generic.  Talk about the weather.  I know it may seem awkward at first, but it doesn't have to be.  IT takes tow people to make a conversation awkward.

2.  Find some small way to serve them.  This one may be difficult, but there are many ways to serve others.  Taking out the trash in the office, picking up the living room after work, holding the door open for those following behind you are simple ways to serve.  Often times when someone holds the door open I think nothing of it.  But when I have an armful or would find opening the door is difficult I appreciate it when others take the short time to help me.

3.  Donate what you don't need to charity.  This can help out a lot in our world.  In Utah, we are lucky to have Deseret Industries, or DI.  My family has dropped off a lot of things there.  The DI and other charities will take what you give them and sell it very cheaply to those in need.  I know those who get things there are extremely grateful.  I know the DI has cheap coats, which are a need this time of year.  It is cold outside and everyone needs to bundle up.  Donating to a charity can help those who need things be able to get them.