Today was a glorious day of Easter celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cathedral of my yard was full of songbirds singing their symphonies of praise, thanking God for this beautiful day. Father Sky sketched a deep blue sky, picked up his white pastel stick and filled the sky with thin cotton candy clouds. Mother Nature dressed the sun in warm yellow and hung her high in the blue sky. Late afternoon purple and gray clouds gathered to darken the sky as the day began her gloaming.

As I watched the sunset pageant begin I thought of this quote from Mia Kirshner, “Bursts of gold on lavender melting into saffron. It’s the time of day when the sky looks like it has been spray painted by a graffiti artist.” I love the color imagery of this quote and saffron is the perfect color for the sun when she’s gowned in yellow at sunset. I’m watching the saffron sun right now from my perch on the porch swing. Mother Nature is painting a beautiful watercolor of sunset.

I could not go to sleep last night. Last time I glanced at the clock it said 3:01. I was listening to music from the 1970’s and heard Carole King singing Beautiful. Thought about the words to that song when I got up this morning. I love the first chorus — “You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart. Then people gonna treat you better. You’re gonna find, yes you will, that you’re beautiful, as you feel.” How we face each day determines how the day plays out. Face the day with a smile on your face and love in your heart and you’ll see the sunshine all day.

The fourth verse of Beautiful says, “… I have often asked myself the reason for the sadness in a world where tears are just a lullaby. If there’s any answer, maybe love can end the madness. Maybe not, oh, but we can only try.” John 15:12 reads, “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.” As disciples of God we need to love one another as Jesus loved his followers. Scripture says “when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another everybody will know that you’re my true followers.”

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” The world has lost its compassion and kindness. We’re so enamored with ourselves we fail to see the downtrodden that need God’s love and grace. When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, he said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Sometimes that “love your neighbor as yourself” is hard but we should treat others with the same kindness and the respect we desire for ourselves.

I think happiness comes from loving others more than ourselves. By loving “our neighbors” we reflect God’s love. Every one deserves dignity regardless of their circumstances or their background. Let’s strive to be more Christlike, living a life of Christian service, willing to serve others, demonstrating God’s love through our love and compassion.

“Not everyone is your brother or sister in the faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor.” — Timothy Keller