Is your spouse ever unlovely? … Are your children ever unlovely? …

Are your friends ever unlovely? … Are YOU ever unlovely?      

Loving the unlovely is not easy, yet this is what Jesus challenges us to do:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  ~  Matthew 25: 35-36

   Jesus is describing what society calls “the unlovely”.  And He expects us to show them love.  This includes our “unlovely” family and friends!

When our loved one is “hungry” for attention – we stop and listen;

When our loved one is “thirsting” for affection – we hold them close;

When our loved one feels like a “stranger” –  we try to understand where they are coming from;

When our loved one feels “naked” and vulnerable – we overlook their inadequacies and speak words that encourage;

When our loved one is “imprisoned” & guilty (from wrong choices) – we truly forgive and move on.

   Only as we walk in the Spirit, growing His fruit, will we be enabled to love like Jesus loved… touching the “lepers”… talking to outcasts… helping to free those bound by sin.

   Can Jesus love the unlovely through you today?

SKK