Have you ever poured your heart into serving God, yet struggled to show that same love to your own family, those closest to you, like your own flesh and blood?
Oh, how we fool ourselves! We profess love for a God we've never seen, yet despise the people right in front of us, the difficult colleague, the boss who overlooks your contributions, the ungrateful family member. It's raw hypocrisy 1 John 4:20 exposes, like a litmus test revealing our true colors. Think of Joseph, betrayed by his jealous brothers yet God worked through it all. If heaven were only for the "lovable," none of us sinners would qualify. But God loved us first, right in our mess. Jesus chose love above all, enduring the cross's shame and agony to die for every soul, whether they say yes to him or not. His arms? Still wide open, waiting.
What about us? Can we keep our arms open too? For the ones who don't say thank you, who hurt us, who just don't get it? Jesus didn't pick and choose the perfect ones; he poured out sacrificial love on all humanity, seeing past every fault because that's what real love does. I wrestle with this every day. Upset thoughts rush in, then I whisper a prayer to the Lord for his help. Then he brings to my attention my own flaws and how he constantly shows me mercy, and suddenly I can forgive, show mercy, choose love again. In this New Year, God is nudging our hearts to love our family and every other person he brings across our path.
Heavenly Father, I come to you humbly, asking your Holy Spirit to help me choose love every single time because love covers a multitude of sins. Amen.
Throughout this day: Think about this: Who have you struggled to love lately? Maybe you've never truly felt love poured out on you, so it's hard to give it away. But God is love. Draw close to him, let him fill you up, and watch how it spills over to others.
Photo Credit: Hoi An and Da Nang Photographer on Unsplash