The words hit me like a ton of bricks! I'd read them many times before but somehow the meaning hadn't sunk in. The red letters seemed to jump off of the page with the new commandment Jesus gave to 'love one another as He loved us' (John 13:34). I must admit I thought it sounded impossible.
How can we love someone who hurt us deeply?
How can we love someone who constantly turns our love away?
How can we love people whom we don't even like to be around?
My thoughts ran to a situation where my feelings had been hurt. Revenge was raging through my mind, not love. There was nothing in me that wanted to show kindness. I wanted to satisfy the desire to see them pay for the pain they'd caused. I let those thought stir around in my head for too long. I knew there was an answer somewhere in the Word, but honestly, I didn't search for it. Sometimes we feel more comfortable not loving than loving. I thought about the people who had hurt my feelings and I wanted to get back at them, not pour love on them. I realized one day that my thoughts were hindering me, and I needed to get over it. I was ignoring The Golden Rule that I taught my students every day. How hypocritical!
The answer was found in 2 Tim 1:7, 'For God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' For many years I read that scripture and focused on the words power and sound mind and never noticed the word love.
What an amazing realization that God has given us a spirit of love!
It's through Him we can love like Jesus!
The bottom line is ... it's not about us, it's about Jesus. So often we get caught up in our feelings and we want to lash out or hide, but that is when we can stand strong and show the love of God. It's easy to love those who love us, but remember God loved us when we were unlovable, for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
When we feel left out and have thoughts of 'getting back' at others,
Love like Jesus!
When someone steps over us for their own personal gain,
Love like Jesus!
When someone never has anything positive to say,
Love like Jesus!
In every situation,
Love like Jesus!