Loving Those Who Are Hard To Love

We love each other because he loved us first.

1 John 4:19

God wants us to love others because he loved us first. Before you were born, God loved you. God showed his love for you when he created you, and he sent his Son Jesus to die for you so that you could be one of his princesses. He shows his love for you every day by giving you life and all the things you need. God’s love never changes, so you can count on him to love you no matter what happens at school, at home, with your friends, or with your family.

Because God loves you, he wants you to love others. This isn’t always easy, because there are people in life who are harder to love. Just think about the neighborhood bully who hurts others or the girl who makes fun of your hair or clothes. Or maybe there’s someone at church who seems a little different. There might be a neighbor who yells at you when your softball lands in her yard or your cat uses her yard as a shortcut. It might not be easy to love these people, but sometimes they are the people who need love the most.

God created all people in his image, even those who are more difficult to love. So everyone is equal in his sight. God sent Jesus to die for everyone’s sins because no one was really deserving of love, but God chose to show his love for the whole world by offering salvation to everyone. That’s why he wants you to love everybody.

One way to show love for others, even those who are difficult to love, is by serving them. Jesus served by washing his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper (see John 13). He did this even though he knew that one of them would betray him and others would run and hide instead of staying with him when he was arrested in the garden. Jesus loved his disciples anyway.

There are simple ways to serve others throughout the day. You can help someone with a math assignment or help him find a book in the school library. You can offer to carry something for a friend when her arms are full, or pick up something that is dropped. You can collect trash at lunch or do a chore for someone. The important thing is to do it out of love for the other person because of God’s love for you.

Think of someone who is hard for you to love. What makes this person hard to love? How can you serve him or her today in order to demonstrate God’s love?