I’m learning that I have to ask God to help me love as He has loved me because I cannot do it in my own strength.  Often my motive can be wrong and self-serving.  I can have this subtle temptation to feel like if I show love to someone, they should show love back to me. My motive for loving people should simply be because I love Jesus and desire to show others the same kind of unconditional love He shows me every day.  I will always be very imperfect in the area of love but my goal should be to point people to the Father’s perfect love through the way I interact with those around me.

Love is truly proven and most shown when it is hard and painful to love.  Love deepens when we choose to do good to someone who has hurt us.  This kind of love makes no sense to the world around us.  Our Culture likes to tell us to cut-off the people who drain and hurt us; that we don’t deserve to be treated like that.   I’m not saying that boundaries aren’t ever needed.  Even in the kind of relationships we need to have boundaries with, there are often many small ways we can chose to intentionally love people.   It could be a choice to not hold on to anger and bitterness and to instead choose to entrust ourselves to God; He will make all things right one day.  Sometimes we will have to say hard things in love.  Sometimes we will have to choose to have compassion and let things go. Sometimes we will have to choose to say a kind word instead of a harsh word our sinful hearts feel like saying.  We will have to learn to be quick to listen and slow to speak and to become angry. We will have to seek to understand, to think the best of each other, and to remember that hurt people tend to hurt people. Love will require sacrifice and effort.   Yet we can be sure there is a joy and reward when we walk in the Lord’s ways. Sometimes when I’m struggling to love someone, I realize those are the times I’m actually growing in my ability to love; and at the same time I’m also getting  a deeper glimpse of the love of God, how deep and perfect it truly is.

Because Jesus first chose to love us, we can love each other in the same way.  He is able to give us new strength to go the extra mile, to give freely, to turn the other cheek, and to do good to our enemies. God lavishes His love on us so that we can know and share His true love.  His Word is true when it says it is more blessed to give rather than to receive. Even when we don’t get the response we would like, we can be confident that our Father in heaven sees the times, by His strength, we extend love in a way that honors Him and He will reward us.  I know this kind of love is possible because I’ve been shown this kind of love over and over again. Not only by God but also by the people He has put into my life who have shown me such kindness and grace; and who have been examples to me of true, Christ-like love.  This kind of love is worth pursuing every time through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit!