Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
– John 13:34-35
What are you most thankful for today? Is it family gathered around the table sharing delicious food and wonderful laughter? Is it a few days off to enjoy more time outdoors? Is it online shopping for Christmas?
I’m most thankful for my daughter Abby’s return from South Africa. She’s home until the first of the year to rest and reflect before going back to finish her year-long cultural immersion program. The joy and love she’s brought into our house is overwhelming and highly contagious.
As soon as we picked Abby up at the airport after 73 days abroad, I knew something was different, something in her soul had shifted. Every other sentence seemed to contain the word LOVE. She’d loved her host family, the leaders of her team, and the directors who dedicate their lives to building bridges not walls. She’d fallen in love with poor and rich children, black and white farmers, highly intelligent leaders and uneducated cooks in the kitchen. Her love of all people reminded me a bit of Jesus.
All I could say was, THANK YOU GOD!
As Abby and I talked more in the days that followed, she shared a passage from the Bible that had propelled her faith forward in South Africa. These timeless truths compelled her to love like Jesus, and not categorize His children.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. – Galatians 3:26-29
Simply put, God loves all of His children and has no favorites. How can we follow in His footsteps?
This Thanksgiving week, possibly even at the table today, there may be people who you find challenging to love. You might not see things the way they do, agree with their political views, or approve of their lifestyle. Still… you can choose love and let go of all that separates you.
If Jesus sat at your dinner table, went on a hike with your family, or went shopping with you, who would He include in His love? What words would He choose? Who would He stop for? How would He touch? In what ways would He encourage?
You have Jesus’ Spirit within you. Let His unconditional love flow through you and love all of His children He brings into your path. When you love like Jesus, not only does your soul shift, but you saturate those around with love and joy. This is the kind of love that breaks down barriers. It’s highly contagious, give it a try!
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