John 13:34 tells us to love one another. To me, that sounds like an awful lot of effort. How does one show love to EVERYONE? Especially when I am almost hit by a passing car because the lady was trying to text while driving. I don't particularly feel loving in those situations.
But I have incredible examples in my life. While in Wickenburg, Arizona for my wedding, people at stores and restaurants kept on commenting on how "nice" one of my friends was. I heard the same thing in at least 6 places. At every turn she was smiling and saying please and thank you. She showed gratitude for their service and she did it naturally and honestly. She even tried to play it off as being from Texas. To me, her behavior didn't seem odd. Her behavior is normal for her and for all of my friends whether they are from Texas, Alaska, Colorado, or California.
But what they were really saying was that they were feeling loved. Her simple but honest please and thank you meant a lot to them. Apparently they were rarely thanked or praised for the work they did and so my friend's gratitude was greatly appreciated.
We often think of loving one another as performing a service for them or by creating a lasting and deep relationship. But truly, to do that with everyone and for everyone is impossible. The effort required would be too much for a single person. My friend's behavior showed me why it is so important to simply be polite, to be "nice." When we do those things we are showing respect for each person and gratitude for their presence in our lives no matter how small it may be. In other words, we are showing them love.
-Therasa
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