Do Unto Others

The above is a picture of my son and the group with which he was a part in Africa. He learned a lot from this trip, mainly "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." For Jonathon, these people were all easy to love because they loved back.


How about those who are unlovable? How do we love them as we would have them love us? 


You know the sort, the kind of people who say mean things behind your back or pick fights with you. Maybe these are the people who seem dirty and crude and rude. They aren't easy to love. How about the people who you just know can work but won't because they're "lazy."


And then we can talk about the people who are in your church family. These are the people who maybe struggle with sin to the point they are losing the battle. You sure don't want to spend much time around them. You might "fall" yourself.


I've been around people in all of these categories at one time or another. I know they're very hard to love. If I have my own way, I will avoid them. Why? Because they make me feel uncomfortable. 


God never asks us to "save" these people. He only asks that we love with a sacrificial love, one that can only weakly mimic that love which He displayed when He took your sins and mine to the cross. 


Maybe if we remember the Golden Rule, to do unto others as we would like for them to do unto us, we might find it a little easier to show kindness and respect to those whom we find to be the most unlovable among us. In time, that love will soften their hearts and perhaps the Lord will finally penetrate their "hearts of stone." He died for more than just the lovable. Please think on this during the Christmas season.