Love Anyway

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

I was literally awakened by this thought running over and over through my head this morning. “Jesus’ eyes are open to see who we really are, and His heart is to love us anyway.” As I gave a sleepy nod in agreement and with a little smile on my face, I then turned to the next logical step—as my husband asks me quite often—“what am I supposed to get out of this?”

I thought of some people in my life who I believe I see as they really are and, honestly, I have a hard time loving them. A couple of things came to mind: first, do I really see them as they are, or do I just get a partial picture, painted with the hurts they have caused me or those I love, or the lifestyles choices they are making that I don’t agree with? And, secondly, does Jesus teach us to love only those who are lovely and treat us well or live the way we think they should?

No, this is actually what He says: “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil” (Luke 6:35).

He is kind to the unthankful and evil—and how do I know that? Because He is kind to me. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:8-10).

Jesus never asks us to do anything that He didn’t do first. Ladies, since He conquered death by being resurrected through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit resides in us (Romans 8:11a), we also can love anyway.

Lord, thank You for seeing us as we really are and loving us anyway. Give us the power by Your Holy Spirit to do the same for others. Amen.