I have to be honest with you - I often find it hard to love people. Now, in the "big" situations - like mission work - it is easy. I guess it is just on my mind, what I am supposed to do. The problem arises during the daily grind. The work day that never seems to end - that person that just puts you in a bad mood - that is when it is hard to love.
Upon accepting the Nobel Peace Prize Mother Teresa delivered a beautiful speech which she concluded by declaring, "If we could only remember that God loves us, and we have an opportunity to love others as he loves us, not in big things, but in small things with great love...." These words are laden with the truth of Christ. In Matthew five Jesus asserts that if we only love those who love us, or love when it is easy, what good is that? Even the tax collectors love in good times. We are called to something greater - a love that transcends circumstances.
It is often argued that the true measure of a person is how they act when no one is looking. Could it also be stated that the measure of a Christian is how they love? Not just in the big situations, but also in the small. The times when no one will know - even the person that finds joy in making your life miserable.
God beckons us to love with great love in small circumstances not because it is easy, but because God first loved us. Now I know myself and can therefore conclude that I am not the most love-able individual, just ask my husband! Yet for some reason, God still loves me unconditionally. How do I dare not love everyone I come in contact with? Maybe if we choose to love each person we encounter, our lives will declare the undeserved love God showers upon us. It is not easy, but I have a feeling it is more than worth it.
"Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love."
1 John 4:8
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