Loving as God does

By Jeff Long

Have you ever pondered why you love and how do you love others? What causes you to love another human being, pet, or another object of your affection or love?

After being around various individuals and listening to their conversations and opinions, I wondered what someone had to do or become before he/she could be deserving of love. Did they have look a certain way -- not too fat or too thin, or beautiful or plain -- intelligent or not? Must they be a blue-collar or white-color worker? We need to look inside ourselves and see what measurements we use to decide who's worthy of our regard, liking and love.

There is a difference between love and liking. We can enjoy being around someone and enjoy their company. We can respect and look up to another, and like being around them. But do we love them? There are different kinds of love also. You can love with a natural love, such as a brother or sister, or you can like someone because they exhibit traits and values you like, or feel a kinship toward. You can love a baby because they're so dependent, cute and cuddly. If, however, they are cranky and ill-tempered you are drawn to the sweet gentle child. The same may hold true for adults.

If the baby belongs to you or your family, however, you will love the baby regardless of whether he's good-natured or ill-tempered. I see this scenario as a sample of God's love for us. Whether we're good or bad, He keeps loving us and coming to our assistance.

We love our child so much that regardless of how he/she acts, our love is unfailing. However, if the infant belongs to another, with whom we have no bond, we tend to tire and lose patience with the child. Fortunately, God never ceases to be there for us in spite of our disposition.

A friend, Jamie, says she's the black sheep of the family. Janie would help anyone if they needed her help. She has little, but would gladly share it. She goes overboard trying to fit in with her family of origin. She is saddened by the fact that she's unlike the rest of her family. She puts on no airs and presents an aura of commonality and sincerity. Jamie tries to impress no one.

She, however, has made many unfortunate choices that have cast unsavory impressions on her character.

Regardless, Jamie's parents love her with an unending love. Her wrong decisions have hurt Jamie more than anyone else, but she falls under the cloud of judgment from various others. Her other two sisters fail to include her. Jamie lives a different lifestyle with a much less lucrative financial status. Rather than show compassion, her sisters judge her for making bad choices, acting as judge and jury. They seem to be blind to understanding that we need to help those that need our help -- not shove them farther in a hole by judging them. Jamie's sisters love her, but fail to reach out to her as they should -- holding themselves above.

I likened Jamie's predicament to many examples in Scripture where God showed his unending love and nonjudgmental nature. The woman at the well (John 4:4-42) where Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. The Jews were often hostile to Samaritans. Rather than focusing on her immoral behavior, Jesus pointed the conversation toward the fact that He could give her "living water." He loved her for her person, rather than her actions.

There are many Scriptures I could use as examples of God's forgiveness and lack of judgment, but it's most important that we recognize that someone's bad decisions and choices are not reason to love them or not. Actions hurt the persons performing them, most. WE need to only love them -- not what they do but who they are and "in spite of themselves." Let us love as God does, unconditionally.