In John 13:34 in the Bible it reads, "... love one another; as I have loved you ...". Charity, the pure love of Christ, was the whole life and purpose of Jesus coming to Earth. He lived and died because of love for us. He suffered more than we can comprehend with the atonement.
But sometimes there are people that feel too hard to love. We can give them His love.
Jesus understands why people are the way they are, why they do what they do, and He loves them and atoned for their sins. We don't always understand why people are the way they are, why they do what they do, but we can have faith in Him and trust His atonement and give them His love.
That doesn't mean we let people run us over, it means we extend the grace of not understanding them. Hurt people hurt people. For most mean people, they act that way because of deep seated pain. Jesus understands the why, doesn't excuse the behavior, but understands the why and has already atoned for their sins and for the pain they caused you.
For those too hard to love, it's okay. Love yourself and those in your care enough to do what you need to protect and have a good life of love. Extend the love of Jesus Christ to those you cannot love. Remember that the atonement already covered their sins, your sins, your pain, and their pain.
I believe in the end it will be okay, and if it's not okay, it's not the end.
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| Greg Olson |
