Have you ever looked the other way when you see someone like the man in this photo? Have you ever prayed a quick prayer as you rushed by, that God would send someone else to help? Or, have you never even noticed him at all?
As Christians, we have a special calling to love the unlovable, the unkind, the forgotten; those the world says aren’t worthy of our time or attention.
It’s hard and doesn’t come naturally for us as humans. Sometimes, when the person is particularly unlovable, the temptation is to think they just aren’t worth saving; they are too far gone to be of use to anyone. That’s when we have to pray, “God, will you use this person to teach me to be more like Jesus?” Allow God to make it a teachable moment rather than writing that person off.
Without Jesus, the unlovable and unkind would be lost forever. Most people are so busy, it’s easy to assume someone else will come along to help. But that’s not what Jesus did. He stopped what he was doing when someone needed help so he could demonstrate God’s love to those who needed it most, exactly when they needed it.
And what about the unkind person? There is no human way to love someone who has been hateful towards you or someone you love. Our natural instinct is to reach out and attack. But that’s not what Jesus did. He sat down and scribbled in the dirt; he made mud out of his own spit and wiped it on a blind man’s eyes; he allowed the dirty and lonely and sinners to come close, to touch him, to look straight into his eyes.
It’s as if Jesus’ very presence performed CPR on their lost and hurting souls. When you perform CPR on someone, you are literally breathing life into them. God wants us to breathe life into those around us, especially the unlovables.
I know they’ve changed the procedure for giving someone CPR, but back when I first learned it you had to literally give your own breath to get the person who needs it to breathe again. You’re replacing what they are lacking, with what you have an abundance of – air.
Did you wake up with hope that today was going to be a good day? Share that hope with someone who doesn’t seem to have any left. Did you hug your family as you headed out the door? Can you share a hug with someone who needs one? Do you have joy because you know that you are loved by Jesus? Can you think of a better thing to share with someone than the joy of knowing that Jesus came into the world to love and save us?
You don’t have to be a missionary or a pastor or someone standing on a corner somewhere handing out bibles to share Jesus. God uses those of us who live ordinary, quiet lives to show the world His love and compassion. In fact, I believe He needs more of us ordinary folks to use the ordinariness of our day to be a light for a dark, hurting humanity.
It doesn’t take special training or a high income or a mass following on social media. It takes obedience. God gave each of us instructions on how to love others to Him. It’s all right there, in our bibles; all we have to do is follow the instructions and love the unlovables!
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12-14
