Who would’ve thought that love would be a choice, rather than a feeling? I’m not talking about falling in love with someone romantically who returns that love; I’m talking about choosing to love somebody who may not love you back. Choosing to love someone who might possibly hate you or say all kinds of horrible things about you. How do you choose to love someone like this? Why would you choose it? I am always fascinated by how Jesus does it unconditionally. How He doesn’t just choose to love every single person but He actually loves them genuinely.
All my life I have always learnt about Jesus’ unconditional love towards me. Despite me hurting him, disobeying him, not trusting him, choosing to spend time with other things or people instead of Him, putting others things in the centre of my life, Jesus STILL genuinely loves me. I can’t do anything to make Him love me more or less. He loves me one hundred percent and unconditionally.
When I think about all the people that I have been blessed to have come into contact with in my life, I am ashamed by how easily I get swayed to choose whether I want to love them or not. Often I change my opinion about them depending on how they treat me or how I feel about them. Looking back, I’m horrified by how one simple look, comment or action could make me to choose to not love somebody.
Being on the race with 50 other followers of Christ who I’ve never met before has been a real test. Initially we all loved each other because we knew we were a body of believers; we were going to become a family and we didn’t know each other’s flaws yet. However, as the months went by and we worked with one another and learnt about each other’s personalities and differences, loving each other genuinely and unconditionally became harder for me.
The race emphasises the need to invest in each other, build each other up and serve one another. Many times I would ask myself: How do I invest in someone’s life when they don’t care about what I say? How do I try to become someone’s friend when they don’t want me as their friend? How do I converse with someone who makes no effort to talk to me and every time he/she does, he/she looks at me like I’m wasting his/her time? How do I love someone who doesn’t want it? How the heck did Jesus do it?
The more time I spend with Jesus, read His Word, spend time with my brothers and sisters, the more I desire to be more like Him, and the more God is moulding me to be more like Him. It hasn’t been easy though. I have spent time with so many different people on this race due to team changes, it’s hard to get to know and invest in every single person. I caught myself on a crossroads between wanting to ignore specific individuals on my squad because I felt I wasn’t being treated right or pursued, to praying and choosing to pursue their friendship and genuinely loving that person because that’s what Jesus would do. In 1 John 4, Jesus encourages His friends to “love one another [because] love comes from God” (vs. 7) and “since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…” (vs. 11) because “…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him (vs. 16).” We can’t say we love God yet hate our brother (vs 19-21) so who do you despise? What did they do to you? Can you choose to forgive that person? It takes strength and boldness to change your opinions about someone…but God can help you do it. It is a choice and you can make the right one.
Imagine if everyone loved one other in the world. What a wonderful world this would be. Will you join me in praying for people that you find hard to love, choosing to love them and start making a difference in the world?
