Love

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?...And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?"

If I told you that these words came to me as I was out walking Kiwi yesterday, wouldn't you think that I was on to something?! Or if I told you that a famous philosopher or poet thought these words up, wouldn't you say that what they said made sense? I mean, come on, think about it...to love your friends, now that is relatively easy (and I say relatively because sometimes your friends can have their "unlovable" moments.) To say that you love your mom or your dad or your sister or your brother, that is relatively easy as well. (Again I say relatively because this does not apply to all cases in which family members do despicable things to those they SHOULD love. This is a generalization, so work with me here.) To say you love that girl at school who always says your hair looks great or that guy who always has a smile and an uplifting word to pick you up when you're down...these are also relatively easy. Don't deny that you do it either, say you love them. I hear people ALL the time saying, "Oh! So-and-so! I love them! They are soooo sweet!" :) But think how easy it is to do something nice in return to these people when they are always so nice to you. Think how willing you would be to iron your husband's pants or run some soup over to a sick friend when they've always been nice to you. THAT, my friends, is easy.

What is not easy, is to do these same favors for your enemies. If that woman who was gossiping about you behind your back or that guy who was always trying to rat you out at work emailed you and asked you to work a shift for them so that they could take their kid to the doctor, wouldn't you be inclined to give them what they deserve?? They definitely DO NOT deserve kindness and not from you! But I speak for myself when I say that there were many times that I deserved a lot worse than what a I got dealt, whether it be from my parents, husband, a friend, or a sibling. Do you know what that's called? When you deserve something BAD and instead of getting dealt that something BAD you not only get forgiven for it but dealt something nice instead?? That's called GRACE. Think of how much more it says about you if instead of starting rumors about the woman that gossips about you, you approached her and invited her out for a coffee date sometime. THAT, my friends is NOT easy.

Jesus was the man who said the quote at the top of this blog. Don't you think he was on to something??