Do you know your neighbors, the people who live next door to you? Over the course of my life, I have had wonderful neighbors and I have had some real jerks (nicest word I could think of), too.

Jesus instructed us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” How do we love or even like people who are real assholes (better description)? Let’s examine.

How we love anyone begins with how we feel about ourselves. Having a healthy self image is a good place to start. Self worth manifests when we take care of ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Being overly critical of everything we do can make us judgmental of others.

Take the time to work on yourself. This isn’t a “one and done,” but it’s an ongoing process. The work is hard, really hard, but it is worth it.

And remember the Golden Rule: treat others the way you would like to be treated. This includes the assholes…