Unconditional.  Unending love.  That’s how God loves us.  Not when we deserve it.

But all the time.

And the Bible tells us that we are to love each other.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:35

But you and I both know that sometimes people are difficult.  And many times, the people who act like they don’t need love are the ones who need it the most.

The Bible says,

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.”     Luke 6:32-33

So how do we love others?  What exactly does that mean?  Well, I don’t have all the answers but I can tell you what I learned about love just this past week from my 13-year-old, Brianna.

We were talking about going to visit my Aunt Margie.  We don’t get to see her very often and her birthday was coming up, so I asked Brianna if she wanted to go visit her that weekend.  Brianna said, “Who?  Aunt Margie?  Sure!  I love her!”  And I thought, why?  Why does she love her so much?  I mean, I know my Aunt Margie is awesome!  But, she only sees her on occasion.  Aunt Margie doesn’t buy her things or take her places or take care of her.  Why does she feel so much love for her?  But when we arrived, I saw it.  I saw the way Aunt Margie rushed to greet her with a big smile and hugged her and looked her in the eyes and asked her about her life and listened with genuine interest.   I saw the way that in a room full of people, she made Brianna feel special.  And she wasn’t even trying.

Then I realized, children love people who love them.  People who pay attention to them.  Who make them feel special.  Who root for them.  But isn’t that true of all of us?  We are drawn to people who make us feel good about ourselves.

That’s love.  It’s not words or flowers or material things.  It’s a feeling.  A feeling of importance.  A feeling of worth.  It’s special. And it feels good.

Jesus said to “Love each other as I have loved you.”  John 15:12

There are people all around us who need love.   A little attention.  A listening ear.  A kind word.

Who can you show love to today?

Teresa Breeding
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