“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
From Matthew 22:36-40
This Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew is considered “The Greatest Commandment” by Christians, but the sentiment to “Love Your Neighbor” is shared by many religions, cultures and ethical people. It feels like a foundational truth that people should be good to one another. Consideration for one’s neighbor is an underlining necessity in knitting people together into a functional community. A common interpretation I have heard about the commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself” is that you should treat others how you want to be treated. In a general sense, I feel like this is good practice, but I’ve come to realize that this isn’t the only way to interpret this passage.
Over a decade ago, I read Julia Cameron’s “Artist Way” and started a daily journaling practice. When I first started my journaling practice, I was going through a difficult time and had lost sense of how I should be treated. So, the idea of treating others as I would want to be treated was a bit skewed. In that state, I had internalized that this scripture to mean that I should become what other people needed or wanted me to be. I understood it to mean that I should please other people. But, through my journaling practice, prayer and study of scripture, my view on the meaning of this scripture started to change.
Over the years, I have utilized a variety of frameworks that have helped me with processing experiences, setting relational and work boundaries, improving my mental health, advocating for change, learning about new subjects, and developing new projects. The practice as a whole as brought me much more clarity on who I am & what I believe. In that practice of showing up honestly to a blank page each day and writing about what I was experiencing internally and externally, I started to slowly see myself as God sees me.
During this time, the idea of “Loving your neighbor as yourself” shifted. In my journaling practice I realized I have a dynamic relationship with my God – through this relationship I am constantly growing and changing. Instead of trying to conform myself to other’s static expectations of me, I tried instead to love others from where I am and what I am at the time of that encounter. I could and should show up as my authentic self. After all, the Scripture doesn’t say “become who other people want you to be” it says, “love your neighbor as yourself”. Through my journaling practice, I started to gain a better understanding of who that “self” was.
Keeping a journaling practice put me on a path of self-discovery. I understand now that in order to follow the commandment to “Love others as yourself” gaining awareness of who that “yourself” is, is an important part of that process. So, that is why my journal business is called “As Yourself Journals”. My journaling practice led me on a path of self-discovery and I hope people who use my journals in their practice will have a similar experience.
