Week 7: The goal of the Christian life is to love well. Jesus was aware that true spirituality included not only loving God, but also the skill of loving others maturely. Growing into an emotionally mature Christian person includes experiencing each individual, ourselves included, as sacred, or as Martin Buper (a twentieth century philosopher & religious thinker) put it, as a “Thou” rather than as an “It.”
Becoming emotionally mature requires: learning, practising, and integrating such skills as speaking respectfully, listening with empathy, negotiating conflict fairly, and uncovering the hidden expectations we have of others… to name just a few.
Biblical Reference: Luke 10:25-37, 1 Samuel 24
