Loving people is hard to begin with, but especially right now. We’re in a really strange place in the world that from a 10,000 foot view, might look like it’s crashing and burning and everything hit the fan at once - including peoples personal lives. I’m no saint in this area myself, the last two years have felt like somewhat of a perpetual state of perplexing emotions on my brain. He did what? There was a shooting where? She got covid again? We are in a worldwide mental health crisis of depression, anxiety and isolation at the same time. My brain and body even tense up as I write this, even though I know as a society we are supposed to be on the “up swing” - and we are in some ways, praise the Lord! But now we are grappling with the social breakdown that has happened as a result. Please keep in mind this is just my opinion and personal view, you do not have to agree. We all have a personal perception of how the last couple of years has affected us.
Take a minute and actually chew on what you may have mentally had to undergo the last couple of years:
Fear of you or loved ones almost or losing their lives to a worldwide virus
Severe grief
Isolation
Social and economic breakdown
Job loss
Racial division and reconciliation
Political division like we have never seen
Police brutality and riots
Inability to see smiles and faces from underneath masks
Depression and anxiety
Inflation
Natural disasters
Violent crimes
War
Financial struggles
Food/supply chain shortages
Spiritual frustration
We are all in one way or another rising from the ashes of sitting in our homes, being forced to face the things inside of us that we might have tossed under the rug while simultaneously being pelted with news of calamity through our tv screens from the outside world. How do we do that? We’ve never had to do this before. How do we love people well after we have witnessed so much hate that we don’t want to touch dealing with people with a ten foot pole? We’re tired. We’ve lost a little bit of tact in our speech with people. Our capacity for any disruption of peace within us has dwindled because it’s been burnt out. In a lot of ways, we’re relearning how to integrate back into a society and outside world that changed while we were sitting inside, and it’s exhausting. I don’t have answers for you on how to do this, but I know the one who does! God has the answers, and He foresaw every bit of what’s happening in our world. He also placed you in it purposefully.
Jesus literally gave us a handbook with an answer for so much of this crap we are dealing with. Let it be your key right now!

“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”. Hebrews 10:25.
Get around people! Dive back into life at your pace. Go to church. Go to a coffee shop, the store, the mall, sign up for the group, call someone. We are literally called to it in that scripture. In that same vein, don’t stop doing good to others! -
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”. Galatians 6:9.
As Christ followers, love should be a reflex of our heart. If we hate someone, there’s no room in our hearts, minds or souls to pour out love. When we act out of love, we’re acting out of our true identity. How we were created to behave. Think about this; it takes so much unnatural energy to hate someone. It makes you sick. You might even feel physically ill from it or plagued by anger all the time if you dwell on it. It’s exhausting because hate was never intended to be a state of being that we stay in. Let’s remind ourselves of the truth of the word and get back to our truest, best state of being: Love!
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister”. 1 John 4:20-21
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”. 1 John 4:7-8
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12
I would encourage going through all of 1 John 4 because it’s bomb and teaches us all about why we love.
So, you might be wondering what tangible ways on how to love might look. There are so many examples demonstrated by Jesus in such beautiful ways, but one of my favorites is in John 13. Jesus knew that Judas and Peter were going to deny that he knew Him, and yet he washed his feet in servitude and love anyways. This baffles me. At that time in history, washing feet was only done by the poor servants of wealthy dinner guests, but here was the future Savior of the world, the King of kings, without sin, who made himself as low as the poor servant to defy all odds and show humility in love. This is an example of the type of humility and love we’re supposed to exemplify towards one another.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15.
To me, this scripture is such a powerful example and command from Jesus to live out humility that’s rooted in serving others.
A couple of my favorite black and white commands of how to love -
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14
Neither of these are easy, but meant to be practiced. These pop into my head often when I'm in conversation with someone who only talks about themselves and never asks any reciprocating questions. Instead of getting offended and turning the conversation onto myself, I “look to the interests of others” by asking more about them. I also have to ask myself often how I would want something done for myself, or how I would want something to be said to me in efforts to “Love my neighbor as myself”. I get it wrong a lot. Chances are you probably will too. But I know it feels natural and whole to love people in that way, because it’s the essence of how I was created to act. It’s all for a greater purpose - so that others might feel the love of God through me. Even if I think that someone is being a crap-bag, they’re Gods child. That changes the perspective and narrative.
No matter where you’re at in your healing journey of getting back to loving people, yourself and finding normalcy in this messy post covid world - I want to leave you with two things:
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses”. 1 Timothy 6:12
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13.
Keep fighting for the kingdom and extending love for the bigger purpose. It’s bigger than how we feel. Cling to the God who administers hope, joy and peace - be full of it.
*If you have time, meditate on 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 for more tangible ways to love!

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