Reaching Out to the Unlovable

I teach middle schoolers at a Christian school. The devotion I read to them this morning talked about grace being love undeserved. It went on saying that we are to love when someone is least deserving. That's how we know we are truly demonstrating God's love and representing Christ.

I challenged my students to say a kind word today to someone they like least, to someone who annoys them, or to someone who you wouldn't normally say a kind word to. I challenged myself to show love to someone I'm not close with more than I would to my best friend, my sister, or my mother. That challenge was met; not because I wanted to, but because I saw the need to.

A "friend" of mine was crying out with a need for a friend. We're not that close, but I knew as soon as we interacted today, I knew a close friend was needed. The challenge of showing love today was a door waiting to be opened. It's also a challenge that I realize I can't just fulfill and be done with. Showing love to this "friend" isn't a one-time event. It's one that I know I'll keep continue doing, and I can say with confidence that it's not because I have to but because I want to. It does a person's heart good to give love.

The thing that I didn't think about when I gave this challenge to myself was the impact it would have on me. Intentional living is about serving God and others, but what I'm experiencing is how I'm being served in the process. I am being blessed in ways I wasn't aware I needed. I'm feeling more complete and more satisfied than ever before. There's healing taking place, there's joy, there's excitement, there's growth, there's peace, and there's power. Intentional living is reaching out to the unlovable because only then, can we understand the grace and love of God and why He reached out to us.