Loving the Unlovable

"Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." 

Luke 6:27-28 (NLT)

I'm sure that without exception, we all have at least one person in our lives that is, well, unlovable. Or at the very least, extremely hard to love. I have someone like that in my life. 

While my natural, human inclination is to want to fire-back or defend myself, I know that that's not what honors God. Oh, believe me, you have no idea how tough it can be at times! I often find myself asking God what He could possibly be teaching me by having such a hurtful person in my life. Someone who is so cruel and cunning. Someone who lies and deceives. How can I keep loving someone like this? How am I supposed to love my enemy? On my own, I can't. But with Him, I can.

What if I were able to see this person through His eyes and not my own? What if I were able to see beyond the tough exterior, harsh language and see the heart of this person? If I closed my eyes for just a moment and saw this person as they really are: Broken. Hurt. Alone. Scared. Insecure. Sad. Lost. In need of a Savior. 

And with that, I am very quickly humbled in realizing just how unlovable I am, too. We love and continue to love, without exception, because He loved us first. We love even those who are unlovable, because most often, those are the ones who need it the most.