Galatians 5:14 has five words that we should all live by.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
When it talks about neighbor, it doesn't just refer to the person living next door. It's the people in your life... which is pretty much any person. Loving people is key... loving people gives them the opportunity to make mistakes without getting hounded by your judgment or way of thinking. Loving people tells them the truth, but it does it in a way that honors and respects them. Sometimes that means you are quiet about what they are doing because there isn't anything good to say. Other times, it means you speak up, but in a gentle, kind way.
Loving people also isn't the same as acceptance. You don't love someone by simply accepting everything they do. Again, this is where truth comes in. When you love with the lens of truth in mind, you are cautious when they are doing something you don't believe in, but you don't condemn them. You can condemn what they are doing, but not in a rude, judgmental way.
Love people always.
Not easy, but it is the power that transforms people's lives.
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