“Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.” —John 13:34
So often I’ve failed to love people unconditionally. I’ve demanded perfection and wanted apologies from those who’ve hurt me.
Pastor Milton Vincent once said, “Our lives are complicated by agape love.” Because we will wrestle deeply with sin until we see Jesus, our relationships will also be impacted by sin.
Agape love steps into that mess and says, “No matter what you do or what it costs me, I will care for you, think the best of you, put you before myself, forgive you, and show you kindness.”
Until my late twenties, I thought agape love was synonymous with simple, harmonious relationships. Life experience has proven, however, that to love someone selflessly often means opening myself up to relational conflict, hurt, and disappointment.
But where others fail me, that’s exactly where I get to experience more of God. As I learn to see God more clearly amid relational hurt and disappointment, I can let loose my stranglehold of expectations on those around me and be free to love them lavishly.
Make it Personal
How have you experienced more of God when human relationships have failed you?