“Love one another.” That’s a basic command. We teach it to our kids in our efforts to teach them to be kind. I, however, have been struggling with this basic command.

God has been really working on me in this area. Do I really love as God loves? That’s the question.

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34 We think we love others by just not being mean, but look at that whole command, “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another”. OUCH! That’s hard! It’s definitely more than just not being mean!

You know that busybody that’s always in your business? Yep, we are to love them. That person that likes to tell you what to do because they ALWAYS know EVERYTHING? Yep, we are to love them. That person that just gets on your very last nerve? Yep, we are to love them. That person that smells bad and is dirty? Yep, we are to love them. That person that is living life contrary to biblical standards? Yep, we are to love them. That politician that is lying? Yep, we are to love them. That mean person? Yep, we are to love them. That hyper critical person always picking you apart? Yep, we are to love them. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that there is no reason for us not to love.

Jesus tells us to love as He loved. That’s huge. “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 He loves us so much that He gave everything for us. We are the busybodies, the know it alls, the one getting on the last nerve, the smelly, dirty sinners, the disobedient, the liars, the mean people, the hyper critical, and yet, Christ with His boundless merciful love gave His all so that we could be saved from being what we as humans see as unlovable. When we encounter the “unlovable”, let’s stop and consider that we were once “unlovable”. Let’s not run the other way. Let’s face them head on with words and actions that point to the love of Christ. I don’t have to agree with them to love them. Jesus certainly didn’t agree with my sinful life!

He did not run from me. He ran to me with open arms, even while I was disgusting. In light of such love, what right do we have to withhold love?