Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
Love can be hard when you come across someone who seems unlovable. They may have harsh words when they speak to you, or they may do things that hurt your feelings and you wonder how you can love this person. It is sometimes very hard to show the Love of God to people who seem abrasive and hurtful. But, that is what we are called to do.
The good news is if God can love you and me with all of our short comings, and issues, we can ask him to help us love others the same way. It will not always feel good because it will be a struggle to overcome the selfish nature we have to automatically protect ourselves and to retaliate.
Demonstrate the love of God by showing kindness regardless of the situation. No one said love would be easy. We are not focusing on the easy to love but those seemingly unlovable people who you run into time after time. Make a decision in your head and heart that you will show that person the love of God through kindness regardless of their reaction. Do this enough times and you will begin to see the power of love in action. Slowly that cold barrier will start to dissolve.
Another way to show the love of God is to be deliberate about loving others in your actions and words. Once you decide how you will do this, the actual love acts will become easier and you will begin to feel joy about how you are positively impacting others for Christ.
Being slow to anger is another demonstration of the love of God. There are times when you may be tired and not have much patience, but remember that God shows us mercy every day and we need to do the same for our brothers and sisters.
Protect your relationships from the enemy by being willing to forgive and really forget if another has offended you. This can be challenging when someone close to you hurts you but you can forgive with God’s help. This not only shows God’s love, but it strengthens our connections as the body of Christ.
Show love by thinking of others before you think of yourself. Jesus was the greatest example of this by his death on the cross. We need to die to ourselves everyday as a witness to the love of Christ on this earth.
Keep trying to show the love of God to everyone you meet. Think of ways you can change someone’s life though an act of love. Love is powerful, give it freely and often.