Social media, especially Facebook, seems full of invitations to complete lists of things you’ve done or want to do. To share a complete list brings reactions of hearts, clapping hands and other emojis, as well as of envy.
We might view the commandments as a similar kind of list. The more we can check off that we have obeyed, the more boastful and self-assured we can be. Verse 6 promises that God shows “steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love [God] and keep [God’s] commandments.” God, let that love flow!
Yet what if we understand the Ten Commandments as calls to live in relationship, rather than a list to chart rewards? God knows none of us are perfect. Still, Creator invites us to live so as to love God and one another. God invites us to build up and strengthen those around us, rather than to tear them down. The Commandments call us to see in each other the image of the Creator, and to offer respect and love, even as we would to the divine.
Amid the lists of life, help us, O God, to live in relationships of love with you and with each other. Amen. — MHD