Prompt: How might "living with hope" influence the way you treat people you disagree with or find difficult?
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24, NIV
As we travel through this Advent Season, it’s important to note that as children of God we are oftentimes called upon to love those who are difficult. How do we, as Christians, love those who are argumentative, angry, unforgiving, and judgmental?
“Love thy neighbor as thyself” is what Jesus commanded, and it is our “prime directive” as Christians. As we live through the magical days leading up to Christmas, it’s important to remember that difficult people are difficult because they’re also carrying burdens we don’t know about – their burdens might be even more heavy than our own.
We’re all difficult people. We all sin. We all have regrets. God would never turn His back on us, just as He would never forsake the intractable people we have in our own lives.
When scripture tells us how to deal with troublesome people, it asks us to pray. During this Advent season, the challenge to us is to pray for the thorny people in our lives. Ask God to help you see them through His eyes. Find ways to lift their burdens, encourage them, and watch what God can do through you.
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