The 11th Commandment

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by MK_Weber

by MK_Weber

As a girl raised in a God-fearing house the Ten Commandments given to Moses were drilled into my head.
1. You shall have no other God's before me
I have come to know that anything you put above God in your heart is an idol. Work, life, love.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
I still do not understand this one. How may I honor people who do not honor me? How can I be a daughter when I've never had a mother? Only the appearance of one.
6. Thou shalt not kill
Even harboring hatred in your heart is akin to killing someone in the eyes of God.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
The bonds of marriage are taken far too lightly. It is a covenant to your partner and the Lord. You are one flesh. The Lord's standards are so exceedingly high that that harmless glance at another, that text, that person you use for emotional support. All of that is adulterous. Even thinking of another is adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal
Do not take what is not your's even when it should be. Even when you think nobody would notice.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness
Do not lie. Be honest, even when it is difficult even when it's safer.
10. You shall not covet
Do not want. For covetousness may well lead a man to break the other commandments laid out before you.

I was raised Christian. I thought I knew God. I thought I knew His Commandments. My therapist urged me to deconstruct my beliefs from my parents' to start to question things and to study for myself. So I did. I began to read the Bible for the first time by myself.
I am 21 years old. I have spent my entire life feeling guilty and hating myself. I wonder if, like me, you were raised on control and fear. Until then I never knew God, not really. I knew the God that took vengeance on the wicked and cast angels from Heaven, the God that turned rivers into blood. I never knew the God that died for me. See I had always heard the story I think we all have but as a kid, I was primarily taught the Old Testament and Jesus' miracles, but nobody ever taught me about the 11th Commandment.
11. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.
Love as I have loved you. This is Christ's final goodbye to his friends. This is his final decree as a man. The King of the entire universe tells his men not to fight, or rage, but to instead love. Love as he loves us.
Is that even possible?
That kind of love is steadfast and sure.
It is strong all-consuming
It is selfless love
True love
I, as a human, with many flaws am told to love the world in such a way as my master
To love everyone even those who abuse and hate me
This is the legacy of my master
Jesus says there are no greater commandments than this Love thy God and love as I have loved you.
No one ever told me that
Church focused on the easy things
Dont lie
Dont steal
Dont cheat
But to Love?
I was taught to fear God and his wrath, yes I read the verses For God So Loved The World... Yes, but Love as I have Loved you? Love those that are broken. The sick. The lost. The worldly.
All my life I have heard the Bible used to excuse racism, ignorance, and hate. But now I realize that those people have just completely overlooked God's greatest commandment.